God's Gift of Time

Many believe that a job, money, family or possessions define who they are and are thus the most valuable treasures in the world, but time is the most precious possession because it cannot be bought and once it passes by, it is gone forever. Chance and opportunity rise or fall on the blink of an eye and if we do not "redeem" them, they are lost to us forever.

Recently the famous hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger emergency landed a U.S. Airways jetliner successfully into the Hudson River near New York City. His hometown speech took approximately 28 seconds say the media. He told the adoring crowd that it could have been any plane at any time that met with the unfortunate circumstance of birds flying into the engines. A freak accident that fell to his unfortunate plane to commandeer. The lucky passengers did not realize until much later that this particular pilot had many years of experience flying and was specifically trained in emergency landings. The combination of skill and expertise made the landing possible.

Pilot "Sully" says he merely did his job. He did not do any more than any other pilot would have done in the same or similar situation. But there is not mistaking the fact that he 1) put in the years of flying, 2) had put in the hours of training regarding emergency safety and landing techniques, and 3) acted quickly and wisely during the small window of time allotted to himself and crew to make those critical decisions.

The Bible tells us, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15). The importance of time is shown in the shortness of life (Ps. 89:47), the uncertainty of time (Luke 12:16), God's plan for our lives (Acts 14:15) and in our God-given desires, goals and purposes. We also know that there is a "time for everything and every purpose under Heaven" (Eccl. 3:1-8). This indicates that although God may not be bound by time, we have that obligation and time is a very valuable resource which should not be wasted.

Physicist Stephen Hawkins wrote a book entitled "A Brief History of Time." In this book he suggests that the cosmological universe has no boundaries. Therefore, if there was no beginning of time, there can be no Creator. However, Albert Einstein said that in God's realm there are no accidents. Other scientists like Frank Tippler and John Barrow point out that our universe appears to be governed by natural laws which hold some kind of "anthropic principle" specifically designed for human life. These natural laws include electric, magnetic and gravitational forces of attraction and repulsion which literally hold atoms and planets together. Whoever and however these natural laws came into being, it would seem they do hold purpose and design for our very existence. Like a proposed "theory of everything," once understood, God's laws shape our very being.

We can see how Pilot Sully wisely took advantage of gravity to glide the plane onto the water, he made use of the plane's electrical communications system while it was still working to brace everyone, he understood how the birds were pulled into the engines and what that was going to mean to the operation of the plane. Since we are part and parcel of the whole totality of being in the world, we have a duty and an obligation to make the most of this space-time continuum and choose our places in it wisely despite any circumstance around us. Even geese have the right to fly and can bring down an huge airliner; even the Hudson River can become a huge landing strip and tourist ferries become rescue boats.

The apostle Paul made the claim that it is in God we "live and move and have our being." God is not some granite rock sitting on a hillside to be worshipped, but exists in the hearts and minds of believers. Like Airline Pilot Sully's fans, you are probably thinking to yourself, there is no way I could ever do anything so heroic, brave and wise as he. The unfortunately lot fell to Pilot Sully on mere coincidence, as he himself confessed, but the knowledge, training, skill, experience, mental and physical practice were not mere accidents - they were chosen by Pilot Sully and his wonderful crew. The people onboard that day made the most of their time by wisely opening the emergency doors, helping people out onto the wing, directing the boats and helping the injured. They apparently exercized composure and grace during an extremely anxious and perilous period. They all redeemed their time wisely and literally saved their lives. Luck may have played a part that day, but there is no substitute for being prepared and then redeeming the time. We all should follow their example and redeem ours.