"That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God Requireth that which is past." Ecclesiastes 3:15
You've probably heard that expression, "time flies so fast," a realization of how quickly events in life seem to whisk by. A phrase that I personally seem to resonate with more is "it seems like only yesterday..." calling to mind memories in our rear view mirror that feel like they just took place... Yet are so distant in the past we wish we took time to appreciate them more...
Around the time I was really starting to get my feet wet with photography, back many years, I visited a lake in Arizona which I now know as Kaibab Lake, just north of the town of Williams. The serenity and beauty of the surroundings quickly got me snapping the camera and setting up the tripod here and there. While being in a new place, I was really happy to see such nice composition potential and really tried to make the most of it.
One of my favorite pictures I ever took, and one that I was so happy to present to my future wife with on a 20 x 30 print at the time, the Blue Lake picture as I called it (blue not so much of the water but rather the sky) really captured the experience I had there conveying the quiet and lush solitude of a peaceful summer day by the water.
As my time there came to a close, I had every intention to make a return back someday, which I eventually would...
The time did come to return. I got my stuff together and made my way. Upon getting there, I realized it just wasn't the same. Now granted, it was a different time of the year, so not only was the greenery understandably gone but more-so was the water level (not to mention that unique log in the foreground) that I felt added so much personality to the image. In actuality, it looked like that log was not anywhere near where it was when I was first there.
I would make subsequent trips back, which included the green summer periods I had first encountered there, but you know what? It still wasn't anywhere near the same, even after all that. I came to realize (and appreciate) that very special moment in time The Lord Had Given me all those years ago... A moment that, yes... "It seems like only yesterday." Looking back on it, I wish I really took the time to recognize that incredibly unique opportunity, that gift of time... that I would never have again. Perhaps I figured it would remain the same when I came back; that there would always be "another chance, another time" to return to it, naively thinking that I could always at my convenience revisit when I wanted to and things would just be waiting for me the way I left them.
How often any of us can look back on our lives, the times in our past that we miss, whether it be moments with family or friends, even our pets; loved ones long gone. It is with sadness that we look back and wish we took that extra time to really take in the gift of those moments we had there, and took the time to make the most of it and not presume we would get back to it later because we had "something to do," or just felt "not now." When we miss those moments, they really... sting. And you know what? How about when it concerns the most important relationship we can ever have? Yes, I am speaking of when Jesus is there wanting to spend time with us. Whether we know it or not.
Looking back on my life, I am sadly reminded of how many times I had those unique special moments to really pause and embrace what was before me. The times Jesus was Allowing me to learn and grow in His Teachings, His Truth, to be in His Word The Bible. It's interesting how many distractions rear their head when we are making time to be with The Lord. When we do press in and carve out time, we can still get swayed by man-made traditions and practices that pretend to Glorify God through their dogma and doctrine, (and they might make us feel closer to God) but if they do not line up with Scripture, then in actuality they are designed only to deceive and drive a wedge between us and our relationship with God. Same end result. How important it is we are aware of our surroundings!
As I peruse through a lot of my favorite photos taken throughout the years, whether it be here, or there, or anywhere... It is a reminder that this life really is temporary and ever changing. As much as we try to either ignore it or go along with it, there is no way around that. We live in a fallen world, one that continues to decay and age due to the terrible tragedy of what happened that day in Eden over 6,000 years ago. When Eve and Adam, believing the deceiver Satan (Lucifer), both set into motion a tide of sin that would be unleashed on this world; sin that would affect not just the people in it but also the animals, the flora and fauna - all God's Creation on this earth. This is something we all will contend with until that ultimate day when The Lord Jesus Comes to put an end to this error once and for all, and Return that which is truly His back to His original Design. A Design that will be Forever and... Perfect.
We have to be very careful of our complacency and convenience, especially when it comes to our time with God in our lives. Things can seem so busy in our world we think we can just come back later. It will be there when we come back, right? Just like we left it? Much like that trip to Kaibab Lake I referenced earlier, that is not a certainty. We may not have another day. Another hour. Another time when we feel like it, to grow in our relationship with God. I don't think we've ever lived in a time where a sense of urgency regarding faith in Jesus Christ and living His Biblical Truth and obeying His Ten Commandments has ever been more important. Things are changing. Fast. Faster than they ever have. We have to be alert and aware of what is around us. Things are not always what they seem, and unfortunately not always as we hope them to be... or remember them.
" Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His Commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13
May we take seriously those gifts of time God Gives us, Glorify Him in truth and use those gifts to the fullest, and never take Him, or them for granted.
Until next time...
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