"Time Comes"

Time comes when you realize,

Not every goal, not every prize,

Is what you thought, misjudged the size,

It changes, don’t you see.

Because what once you thought you had,

Turned out to be what makes you sad,

You can’t always avoid the bad,

Some things just have to be.

Someone hears the doctor say,

This isn’t good and on that day,

The grip they had just goes away,

They’re forced to let it go.

Or someone whom you love you lose,

And then you see that you must choose,

To go on living or the blues,

Will stop you, don’t you know.

I love the horses, cowboy way,

And way out here I plan to stay,

I’ve learned to live it day by day,

Until it’s time to leave.

And I know as years slip by,

I want to get things right and try,

To live for God and here is why,

He loves me, I believe.

So we go on, learn to endure,

With His Spirit making sure,

To keep our hearts on true and pure,

And celebrate His grace.

Nothing like the joy, you see,

And it is only found when He,

Sends the love to set us free,

And finish strong the race.

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:7-8, NLT)

Life has a way of showing us what is really valuable. Sadly, some never learn it, and until the very end pursue things that don’t really matter. Paul wrote these words from a prison cell in Rome. His earthly life would end soon, and perhaps he somehow knew it. And that’s what makes his words so incredibly powerful. What he thought were the most valuable things about his life were nothing compared to knowing Jesus! What will it take for us to realize this? Sometimes it’s a medical diagnosis, or the loss of a loved one, or some other tragedy that gets our attention and adjusts our priorities. Life is short. Eternity is long. And our investments matter. Choose wisely.

Lord, help us to realize that nothing is more important than knowing You and making You known, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Kenneth Wyatt, kennethwyatt.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Kenneth, and God bless you.