Do You Have the Time?

Ephesians 5:15a-16 (NRSV), “Be careful then how you live...making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”

Tyrell: I'm surprised you didn't come here sooner.

Roy: It's not an easy thing to meet your maker.

Tyrell: What can he do for you?

Roy: Can the maker repair what he makes?

Tyrell: Would you like to be modified?

Roy: Had in mind something a little more radical.

Tyrell: What..? What seems to be the problem?

Roy: Death.

Tyrell: Death. Well, I'm afraid that's a little out of my jurisdiction...

-Dialogue from the movie Bladerunner.

Time is an elusive thing. The harder you try to hold onto it, the more slippery it seems to get. It is not easily caged, tamed or bought. You can purchase, return and get back your clothes, freedom, dignity and affection (of a sort). You can tame boredom, hold onto memories for awhile, and restart from scratch after losing everything that you consider precious.

But time is kind to no one. You can be rich, important, poor or lonely, incarcerated or living free in the beautiful countryside with no one for miles. But time will not stop, slow down, or wait up for you. Time keeps speeding up even when you want it to slow down. When you want to go back and do that day over, time won't allow it. Time is cruel and uncaring.

We would like to capture time in a bottle if we could. Save some for later. Time is the most valuable commodity there is, once spent you can't earn more, you can't refund it because it was badly spent or demand a do over because it was wasted.

We see the importance of time in the way that society markets nostalgia. We have entire radio stations dedicated to a certain era the listener will be familiar with and relate to on an intensely personal level. We have tv shows that are being “rebooted” from earlier times to pull in audiences that want to relive their younger years.

For sports, for tests, for a lot of activities, we have practice. We go over plays, materials, strategies, so that when the game, the comprehensive exam, the day of challenge comes, we will be prepared. Life has no practice, there is no pre-test. You get thrown in and have to learn as you go.

What do you spend your time on? Once time is spent, it is gone. Spend your time on things that matter. Of course, the next question would be, what really matters? Get in the game and find out.