This past Sunday a little of my “retro” ran into a little bit of my “here and now.” We had a one day parenting conference with Dennis Nunn called How to Reclaim Your Rebellious Teen and How to Keep from Having To. It was a tremendous, meaningful, practical, and powerful day. At one point, Dennis talked about time. Before I tell you what he said, let me give you a flashback.

It was 1993, my senior year of college. The time was quickly approaching when our carefree, non-stop, relationship-centered days of college would be a distant memory. On the horizon were real jobs, real responsibilities, earlier bedtimes, and separation from friends you had spent the last four years living with, eating with, hanging with 24/7. DC Talk, a popular Christian band, came out with a song called Time Is. The song is about making the most of our time on earth - using the gifts and the gospel that God has given us while we have a chance. In addition to its already powerful meaning, it had special significance as each day grew us closer to graduation…and goodbye.

Right now is the time that we gotta get with it / the gift that He’s given ain’t just an exhibit / but a tool that He’s given us to use for His sake / and just as He has given, He can surely take / the signs of the times are dropping like flies / the cries of the people around us imply / they’re looking for an answer that we already know / but time is definitely on the go / all the money in the world can never stop the hands of time / and a wasted day in your life is more than a crime

I remember one late night/early morning getting together with some of my best buddies/brothers, Mark Carnes and Jackie Watts. We actually made a “music video” to Time Is which was unbelievably funny. There are still 2 VHS copies in existence. If you are lucky you might be able to view this classic footage. I make a tumble roll over a dorm lobby couch that today would definitely send me to the hospital for multiple sutures and a concussion. But those were the days of invincibility.

Fast forward 15 years (are you kidding me!). I’m happily married to a beautiful woman and we have two incredibly gifted children, 8 and 11 (those are their ages, not their names ). I am sitting in worship Sunday and Dennis states, “With children, the days are long and the years are fast.” Short and sweet. (I am pretty positive that Dennis was quoting someone else, but I can’t remember who…so I will give credit to him.) Every stay-at-home parent of a baby to preschooler knows just how long a day can be. I can remember days of coming home from work and my wife virtually saying to me “Your turn! I am off-duty!” I only had to pull those full days a couple of times to feel her pain. The days can sometime move by one tick at a time.

But then you turn around and sit down and realize “MY SON IS GETTING READY TO ENTER MIDDLE SCHOOL!” Hold up now. How did that happen? I had always heard that time flies, but now it is a whole new ballgame. This isn’t simple leisurely flying; this is rocket ship speed.

Dennis also mentioned that you actually only parent your children until they are teenagers then you get to watch what is reaped from what you have sown. No redos? No time travel back to say or do things differently. Scary. Remember, though, that it is never to late to start doing the right thing. Forgetting what is behind…I press on…(Phil. 3:13-14)

Bottom line: Take no day for granted. As soon as you see your spouse or child or parent or friend, embrace them like you will never see them on this earth again. Tell them you love them. Think carefully before you speak. Listen more with intentional understanding. Share truth unashamedly. Deny self. Glorify God in your response and actions to others. Invest in people not things. Make the absolute most of every day on this earth, for Heaven is just around the corner.

a wasted day in your life is more than a crime

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