Here we are at the end of another year. Old man time just keeps on marching on. The lessons of life take on a different dimension as the years go by. I once heard a question. What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the middle of the day, and three in the evening? The answer is man. In the early stages of life he crawls on his hands and knees, as he matures and grows stronger he stands up straight and walks without any help on his own two legs. As the years go by he needs a cane to help him remain steady on his feet.

Solomon speaks of the passing of one generation and its replacement in Ecclesiastes 1.4, "One generation passes away, and another generation comes." In Ecclesiastes 3 he says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." (Verse 1) The Apostle James compares our time here upon earth to vapor that appears and then vanishes away. Peter is even more vivid in his description of man, "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away" (1 Peter 1.24).

Some of life’s changes are bitter sweet. To see one’s children grow up and serve God is a joy beyond comparison. To see loved ones enter the twilight years of their lives leaves tears in my eyes. One comforting thought comes when we realize man is a spiritual being, living in a temporary physical dwelling. While his body may grow old and lose the ability to function as it used to, his soul is timeless. Time can not take away love, compassion, caring, faith, hope, etc.

Time also shows the importance and greatness of God’s gift to mankind, Jesus. Because He died on the cross for our sins, we can go to heaven, a place where time will not matter. D.T.