Watch out!
I came across something the other day that caught my attention. There’s a new wristwatch designed to help you estimate your life expectancy. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s from China and it’s called the “Tikker.” According to the brochure, through a simple calculation, you can estimate when your death may occur. Once this number is entered into the Tikker Watch, a countdown of your estimated life expectancy begins. If this sounds a bit morbid to you, there is a method to this crass marketing madness. The manufacturer claims that the true purpose of the watch is to remind you that time is your most valuable asset and to waste it is a waste of your life. The brochure closes with this timely call to action: “Get The Tikker Death Watch today and start LIVING your life.”
We are citizens of two worlds: the world of time and the world of eternity. It is not a matter of conflicting or divided loyalties. It is instead a question of the highest loyalty. We owe our allegiance to both worlds, but we are born to “Seek first the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 6:23) That is our true and everlasting goal. The world of time is means, not end. The money and things and pleasures of this world are gifts from God to be used, but not abused. If we use them to enrich our understanding of our true worth and our true goal, they will serve us as God has intended them to serve us. We will recognize our earthly rewards as but tiny glimpses of supreme happiness in the Coming Kingdom. In the truest sense, that is what it means to start living our lives. And if the latest gadget is a reminder to use our time wisely, then okay.
As Paul expresses it, “Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Properly regarded, as means, the things in our world of time are at our service. Wrongly regarded, as endsin-themselves, the things in our world of time become our masters. One who confuses means with ends in this manner is reminded that, in Jesus’ words, “everyone who commits sin is a slave” (John: 8:34).
Jesus tells us how to live by telling us what the countdown of our lives is leading up to. He has provided us with not the day, but the ending we need to know in order to deal with the events that will occur along the way. Jesus’ testimony unravels the mystery of the Kingdom: God’s Kingdom is the Kingdom of Love. We are pearls beyond price because God has loved us first. For this reason -because we know our true worth -- we can love ourselves. And for the same reason -- because God is the Creator and has first loved every human creature born into this world – we can love our neighbor as God has first loved all of them.
I will end with a salute to the men of the world who took on the responsibility of fatherhood. I thank God daily for my father who was a righteous and Godly man. Happy Father’s Day!