How can I find time when it is lost? Time isn’t like a shoe or a set of keys that can be found after being misplaced. Time can’t be redeemed in the literal sense of the word. Or can it?
I flew from Pretoria, South Africa to Florida this past Monday. In a way, I gained time because Florida (EST) is six hours behind South Africa (SAST, or UCT +2) time. Flying across time zones is discombobulating and tiring. I’m always amazed how exhausting that kind of trip is. You spend fifteen hours sitting in a plane doing almost nothing, yet arrive completely worn out.
The flight was smooth, save for a few small bumps along the way, and we arrived in Atlanta, Georgia (our first stop before catching our connecting flight to Jacksonville, Florida) at 7:30 a.m. My body was telling me it was 1:30 p.m. One very expensive airport coffee later, my head felt a bit clearer.
Redeeming the time
Jet lag is a brutal teacher. It doesn’t matter who you are, when you meet with jet lag, you won’t win. You may travel back six hours or ahead six hours but any time you have gained, or lost, cannot be made up.
“See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NKJV)
When I don’t have time to waste (which is pretty much all day every day) I try to make the most of the time I have. Before we left South Africa, we had so much to do, I packed in everything I could every day. It was stressful, but I don’t like to leave a stone unturned when it comes to getting things done. Of course several hiccups came along but we managed to navigate through it all. When we sat down in our seats I was satisfied that I had done all that I could to get the jobs done.
Redeeming time in the sense of our lives doesn’t mean flying backwards through time zones (not recommended unless you have to). It means making the most of the time that we have because we don’t know what tomorrow holds. When we do this, the jet lag of life can’t hold us. Ephesians 5:15 above tells us that walking wisely buys back, or redeems, our time.
Anyone can live foolishly; that doesn’t require wisdom. Living from event to event by reaction instead of wisdom rarely produces good fruit. Packing in all we can for God in the moments we have is what takes heaven’s wisdom.
It is lost but can be found
Heavenly wisdom isn’t something we naturally have, but it is something we can easily find.
”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
James 1:5 (NKJV)
The caveat to God’s wisdom is this: it is counterintuitive to our wisdom. And most of the time, if we haven’t learned to fully trust God, we will buck against that wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25-27). However, if we are wise, we will understand that God’s wisdom is greater than our own.
Today, fly back in time today into heaven’s time zone. Redeem the time. Ask for His wisdom. He will give it to you. Then, the jet lag of life won’t have any hold on you.
