Introduction
Time is a precious gift of God. As human beings, we live in
space and time. From the very beginning of time, God’s goal is to shape believers
into the image of His Son and to make them vessels. So, He uses us in time to accomplish His
plans in this world. As we are all piece of clay in the hands of God the
divine Potter, we must let Him have His way with our lives because our plans as
a people will never be as good as what the Lord wants to do in and through us.
Therefore, to walk where God is leading in time and space is the safest place
to be. Our God is not limited by space and time. For Him there is no past,
present and future. He remains the same yesterday, today and forever.
Time
for everything
Holy Scriptures says that there is time for every
occupation under heaven:
‘There is a season
for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven: A time for giving
birth, a time for dying, a time for planting, a time uprooting what has been
planted. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a
time for building, a time for tears, a time for laughter, a time for mourning,
a time for dancing… a time for war, a time for peace.
What does a man
gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives
mankind to labor at. All that he does is opt for its time: but though he has
permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work
of God from beginning to end’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11).
Those who abide in God during times of adversity instead of
always trying to escape hardships will develop endurance, proven character and
hope (Romans 5:3-5). God has promised never to leave or forsake us, so no
matter what the national and international circumstances, we can count on His
help, because He knows and holds the future.
Changing
season of life
We remember today that we all
are pilgrims just working our way home through the changing season of life. Our
lives as mortals is a transition that always include a yesterday, a last week,
and a last year. The ember months are here again, with the special
celebration of our 53rd Independence anniversary of nationhood since
our Independence from Britain on October 1, 1960. See how moments fly by, the
days pass, the seasons change, and thus flows our life. As mortals we continue
to experience moments of celebration and joy, period of suffering and sorrow,
and occasion of failure and success. Although as a nation in the past fifty
three years, we have recorded significant milestones and have kept standing by
surviving times of illness, poverty, oppression, persecution, kidnapping, Boko
Haram and corruption, much more need to be done in terms of good governance to
check misuse of our abundant human and natural resources, and to maximize
untapped potentials. We have to adjust to the rhythm of the seasons, times and
moment and strive to live in wonder and thanksgiving for all that God is doing
for us. While we regret the golden times lost, the chances missed and the
opportunities wasted, we must be resolved to stand united to fight all anti
democratic forces and work for national progress and development.
Fighting
to beat time
We do not always appreciate the gift of time. This wonderful
gift of God seems to constantly threaten to become our great enemy in our
contemporary society that is increasing becoming restless and impatient. We
live in a very busy, broken and divided world. What then do we expect in a
world characterized by a deadly passion for evil, violence and destruction with
an apparent lack of faith in God, than chaos and restlessness? Unfortunately, a
malicious tendency of envy, restlessness and greed seem to have taken hold of
us and we are constantly in a mad pursuit of acquiring possessions that possess
us more than we posses them. Let us pause to examine the goal of our toils and
struggles.
The
goal of our toils
Life has become too complex. We toil and struggle aimlessly
without fruitful result and fulfillment and this leave us disillusioned. We
toil vigorously to secure material well-being and we chase many things - money,
power and pleasure. We catch and possess them just to discover another need and
start all over again. In fact, we realize that materialism is not the key to
happiness.
Looking from my window as a student in my earliest days in
Rome in 2003, I saw massive movement of people in all directions, hurrying and
rushing to meet deadlines and to catch many other sensational events. I was
compelled to stop and asked what has caused this incredible shift from natural
serenity to life draining activities. Today, we run after life. It seems that
time has enslaved us. We pass through life running, hurrying, jostled and
overburdened and never find fulfillment because we haven’t time. In spite of
all our efforts, we are still short of time. Perhaps, the seconds, minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months and years of our lives are too short. We are always fighting to beat
time, but time end up beating us.
Common
excuses to justify our action and inaction
In our contemporary society, you hear common excuses like:
“ I wish I could do many things, but I simply have no time; I am sorry but I
have no time; I would have love to help you but I haven’t time; If only I had
the time; Okay! I will squeeze time if possible; I will like to pray but
haven’t time; I have plenty of home work to do but I am too busy; I simply just
don’t have the time; I still have much work to do but I have no time.” We run
and run after time and become victims of all ongoing pressure to meet
deadlines. So it seems we have become so busy that we have no time to
live—always in a hurry, too busy, rushing not to waste time and rushing after
time to gain time. Our daily activities, toils and struggles become merely
random events and normal routine apparently making our lives boring, mechanical
and dull.
Living
the present moment fully
In his book, Prayer of life, Michel Quoist states: “ All men complain that they
haven’t enough time. It is because they look at their lives from too human
point of view. There is always time to do what God wants us to do, but we must
put ourselves completely into each moment that He offers us”. So,
whatever your duty, do it quietly and efficiently and offer your time to God.
We have only one moment to live at a time and that is now-not tomorrow. Time
flies and the present moment pass swiftly. The only time we have control over
is the present moment. We must struggle to live the present fully. We must pay
attention to the day in hand and fill our present with all our hearts and
energy because we can never have it back once it passed. We must not loose,
waste or kill time but spend our time wisely in gainful employment and
profitable ventures to the glory of God.
Stopping
for a moment to be still
Around and around we go feverishly from business to
pleasure and back to business again. We sometimes get tired, feel lousy,
emotionally drained and suffer mental agony as a result of the mounting global
pressures. At other times we suffer aches, pains, tensions and fatigue - people
get on our nerves at schools, hospitals, shops, factories, homes and offices.
Yes, life rushes by, but we must stop for a moment in the midst of all these
tough human and often agonizing struggles, keep quiet and perceive the healing
presence of God. The spiritual writer Michel Quoist puts it thus: “ At the heart of all our
struggles, we must unite with God in whom is our final rest. It is not the
matter of straining out towards God but of relaxing before him.” Even though
we get discouraged as ordinary mortals and feel that we are struggling for
nothing, even though we get impatient and exasperated with the apparent
futility of our efforts and struggles, even though the question and the reality
of death confronts us, we must relax in God who offers us each new day that
brings new opportunities. We must remember that in our search for a credible
world order, the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for fundamental
human rights and the rule of law must be taken seriously.
Conclusion
Surely, there are in nation’s
life certain connections, twists and turns, entrance and exit, coming and
going, meeting and parting, which pass a while under the category of chance.
But at last well examined, proved to be the very hand of God. Therefore,
we have to utilize the golden moments of time and make the most of the present
moment. Let us not gamble with time, but maximize every golden moment along the
road of accomplishment. The strains on us as a people may be great emotionally
and financially, but greater should be the love we feel for one another and our
Country. Today, we share a commitment to future generations and a yearning to
improve the world our children will inherit. God bless Nigeria and happy Independence anniversary!
Rev
Fr Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre, Kaduna – Nigeria
2013
