Sooner Than Later

How quick does it feel? The first week of school is over, and the second one is right in front of you. Sooner than later, holidays are just around the corner. It all feels short, and the time we have on this earth is limited. Years will pass, you will finish school, then graduate from university, get a job, retire, and then it’s all over. 

But the thing is, we never know when God will call us. If He calls you out to face judgement, do you think that you are ready, ready for God to judge every second of your life and judge you for everything you did in your life? Looking back on your life, do you think that you have done enough for God? Do you believe that you have done what God has called you for? We, especially as teens, need to wake up. We cannot be blind to this scary but true truth. It’s reality. 

We must wake up from wandering aimlessly and realise the reality before us. We, as teens, just pass over the fact that we can die any second. Time is valuable, and time is limited. Many of my friends at school are sadly blind to this reality. Some people only want to have fun; they only want to do what is good for them. People have commented on my weekend schedule, “to be honest, you have such a boring life.” It doesn’t bother me that much, but what bothers me is that they don’t know the worth of time. 

There is this illustration. Take a long piece of string, about forty metres. There is a tiny portion of the string that has been coloured in red at the tip of the cord. That is the life that you have on this earth, and the rest of the string represents the rest of eternity. The string should never end, but the illustration is there. If you take the average human lifespan, and divide that by hours, the average life span is only about seven hundred thousand hours. The short life that you have on this earth is the chance to have all of that eternity in heaven or hell. 

I want you to think, really ponder on what I will say next. What if you were to pass away in a few minutes? What would you do? Think about what you have done on his earth. Are you ready for the day of judgement? Will you say before God, “Lord, this is my life that I have fully surrendered into your loving hands, my life is in your hands, let your will be done, Lord.” Or will you regret the moments that you have wasted on earthly enjoyments? The many missed opportunities to spread the word of God. Your life right now is the only life that you will ever live. We cannot be blind to that truth. 

I believe that basically everyone has felt at some points in their lives that time goes quickly. I’m still in shock when I look back to see that lockdown started over a year ago. Sooner rather than later, we will be looking back to all the things we have done in our whole life, lying on that death bed waiting for fate to come. It is hard to think of this, but it’s true. John 9:4 says, “We must work the works of him who sent me while its day; night is coming, when no one can work.” Because the end will come, and the end is near, so while you still can, have zeal and passion for the Lord.

People with holy zeal and passion for Christ’s work will realise that life is short. Whenever I start to slack off, my mum would always say to me, “time will never wait for you. It will always keep going. You are the one that is meant to chase time.” On this earth, time will never stop and wait for you. If you miss the moment, the moment will stay in the past. It’s a problem that I see in teens today; many teens just aimlessly wander, doing ‘fun’ things that will please them. We need the zeal for the glory of God, not a false zeal for money and fame. But true fiery zeal for the expansion of the kingdom of God and His glory. The bible contains true zeal; it is a zeal that forms in the heart the burns within the heart. 

So Pray

If you go into my brother’s room, you can see a small note posted on the wall. “Life is Short, So pray” Psalm 90. – from everlasting to everlasting. “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom … Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” Pray and ask God for true zeal. Pray and ask that you may have the passion for His Glory. We cannot be blind to this truth. It is reality. Sooner rather than later, we will pass away. When we face Christ on judgment day, will it be the last time we see Him? Or will you be with Him for the rest of eternity?