Alarm Clocks and Gold Standards

God reminds me of my alarm clock. Every morning it when it sings to me, I hit the snooze button, and every time I hit the snooze button, it sings the same thing again nine minutes later. The Holy Spirit seems kind of like that to me: my ever-faithful Reminder. There are times when I think I've learned my lesson, but He keeps coming back and reinforcing it - maybe not every nine minutes, but always at the right time. His faithful reminders are what make the difference for poor, dumb, blundering, forgetful sheep like me, because I have a tendency to forget even the most obvious of spiritual truths, and I have an even stronger tendency to forget to live them out every day.

I realized today that my spiritual alarm clock has been singing to me lately, saying, "Don't waste your life." I've learned that lesson before; I even wrote a speech about it. But that's the thing about living the Christian life -- God never stops refining you, reminding you of those lessons. Over the past few weeks, through numerous friends and a few powerful songs, he's reminded me how fleeting and how precious life is. One of the most dangerous aspects of college life is the temptation to get caught up in the daily routine and forget the value of those days.

I tend to measure the value of a day like the United States measures the value of a dollar: relatively. Without a gold standard, the value of a dollar depends on the market, on inflation, on public opinion. What is it worth today? What will it buy for me? Likewise, with time, I wonder, "What is it worth to me today?" or "What will it buy for me?" I forget that time, unlike money, does operate on a gold standard. God gives an unchanging value to every day, an intrinsic worth. The question is, do I choose to value time based on my own fluctuating desires and standards, or do I choose to value time with God's mindset? The truth is, my time can purchase more things of higher value when I use His eternal value system. Colossians 3:1-4 explains, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Dying to myself and being raised with Christ means that I no longer belong to myself, and time is valued by what brings Him the most glory, not what satisfies my desires.

Larry Red wanted to retire in a few years, buy a Winnebago, explore the country's best fishing spots, and start a band. During his near-death experience in the hospital last week, he realized just how fleeting life is and reexamined his value system. I felt the passion in his voice as he urged all of the young adults in our church body to live each day as if it were our last, and then he shared his new plan: to buy a Winnebago, tour the country, start a rock 'n' roll worship band, and share the testimony of how God has miraculously saved and transformed his life. That's a life sold out to God -- a life that values time on a heavenly standard.

Several contemporary musical artists have poignantly captured the truth about the value of time in their song lyrics:

"Every day is a gift we've been given; make the most of the time every minute you're livin'." - Life Means So Much by Chris RIce

"Welcome to the fallout. Welcome to resistance. The tension is here; the tension is here, between who you are and who you could be, between how it is and how it should be." - Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

"This is your time. This is your dance. Live every moment. leave nothing to chance. Swim in the sea. Drink of the deep. Embrace the mystery of all you can be. This is your time." - This Is Your Time by Michael W. Smith

Last Tuesday night, two of the amazing guys in our church body brought these ethereal lyrics down to earth for me. They began to communicate their mutual dislike of mid-life birthdays and the generally uncomfortable feeling that accompanies them. One shared that he feels uneasy thinking about being forty years old; after all, at forty, life seems halfway over. There are two questions that he knows he must ask of himself: "What have I done with the first half of my life?" and "What do I have to show for it?" My focus instantly snapped to my own life. At twenty, am I wasting my life? What am I doing of eternal value every day? In another twenty years, what kind of account will I be able to give for the life entrusted to me?

These are tough questions, but I'm grateful for the grace of God that allows me to wrestle with them. I know I'll never have it together, and I know I'll never be able to value time by God's perfect gold standard, but at least I can wake up each morning and give it everything I have, living out Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Thank you, God, for being my spiritual alarm clock.