250 Years Isn’t So Long Ago
We are celebrating the 250th
anniversary of what most people consider to be the birth of the United States
of America. It is a good time to give thanks for our nation and our freedoms,
as well as to pray for our leaders and for a much-needed turning to God. So
along with our cookouts and fireworks, let’s remember to pray for our country
today.
At first thought, 250 years seems
like such a long time. When I was a youngster studying about the American
Revolution in school, it seemed like ancient history. However, as I have gotten
older, my perspective has changed somewhat. The 1960s probably seem like
prehistoric times to my grandchildren, but those days don’t seem so far away to
me since I lived them. So consider the fact that someone who is eighty-three
years old today can look back on their first years of life as if it was a short
time ago. Someone who was eighty-three years old at the time that person was
born could look back at their lifespan the same way. A third person who was
eighty-three when that person was born could conceivably look back at their
birth and it would have taken place around the time of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. Only three eighty-three-year-old individuals
separate our day from the birth of our nation. When I think about it in those terms,
it really wasn’t that long ago since our country came into existence.
This realization should serve as
another reminder to us of the shortness of life. The Bible describes this
reality in numerous ways. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). Even for those
who live to be in their seventies, eighties, or older, life comes and goes
relatively quickly. Eighty-three years can seem like a long time, but that
lifespan can pass by before we know it.
Therefore, in light of that truth
the Bible encourages us to live wisely. “See then that you walk circumspectly,
not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil”
(Ephesians 5:15-16). If life is so short, then we need to make the most of the
opportunities we are given. Let’s not allow life to pass us by and suddenly
realize all the time we wasted.
Think about how so much has changed
in our nation over the last 250 years – from fledgling colonies to a world
superpower – from a vast wilderness to great metropolises – from covered wagons
to jet planes. And then consider how the world has changed just within some of
our lifetimes – the advances in technology – the differences in our culture –
the changes in values and morals, some of which is positive but much of which
has gone in the wrong direction. We live in a very different world from the one
in which many of us were born.
These truths should challenge us
not to passively sit back as time goes by. Eighty-three years goes by quickly.
So let’s be faithful to fulfill God’s purposes while we are here on this earth.
Don’t waste these precious gifts of time and life that God has given you.
Receive His loving gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. Love Him, live
for Him and seek to do His will during these few years of your life. Give
priority to those things that will still matter 250 years from now. Be a light
in a dark world, a godly influence on your family and friends, and a proclaimer
of the gospel to those who need to hear it.
Time is short, even 250 years. But
eternity is forever.
