It’s Not Always Going To Be This Way

The Leviathan of Time

It’s easy to get in the mindset that things will always be the way they are right now. This can go in the direction of pessimism where we’re destined for nothing but storms, or optimism where there’s only sunny days ahead.

There are seasons of our lives where time seems to crawl. The children are young, the demands are high, and in the midst of it all we love the little years.

We’re starting that new job or heading off to college or moving to a new place, it can feel like life will just never get started.

Time is a funny thing. The proverbial “they” say time is relative. There has to be a deep common interest in time. Forgive me for going off theme for one example but why would time-drenched movies like Interstellar pull so hard at the heartstrings of its audience? Less popular - and more in line with the theme Fightin’ Poseidon - is the movie In The Heart of the Sea. If you get down to it, this flick still rattles against the bells of time.

In the Heart of the Sea is the story of the whale ship Essex. Its crew left their families behind for work that would drag months into years while they sought precious whale oil. The movie is based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s book of the same name recording the real life events that inspired Herman Melville to write his masterpiece: Moby Dick.

The white whale is much more than an obsession. The monster is a leviathan of the deep. Moby Dick is no mere whale and the quest to find the sea beast is more than whale oil and harpoons. Time is a distinct feature. Why in the world would you record your notes about knot tying and whale biology if you weren’t being taken along on the trip of time aboard the Peaquod?

Deeper themes often reflect the times we’re in, even if the movie isn’t a blockbuster or if the classic book is a notorious drag for modern readers who don’t grasp the pace. Time is on our minds. It looms over and behind every action we take, influences our motivations, and passes us by before we know it. You don’t need any sources to know that’s true.

Our days are numbered

Stoicism is on the rise right now. Before I acknowledge some of the good, flat out I must say stoicism will leave you dry. It will not equip you for all your journey requires. We can talk about that another day, but for today it’s understandable as people are seeking meaning. Stoicism has some framework to deal with the daily problems of life and existential dread of larger events out of their control. I get it. One of my favorite phrases is “Smooth seas never made for skilled sailors” and it has helped me embrace difficulty in life. Another common motto among stoics is momento mori. It means remember that you too will die.

The phantom of death waits for us all. Isn’t that unpleasant to think about? We can neglect many things: our health, our homes, our vehicles, our relationships, our finances. Lord knows I haven’t been perfect with any of those. But really, I am not only talking about death.

Our children will leave our homes and start families of their own.

Our economy will fluctuate and we will have to adapt.

Kings rise and kingdoms fall. This is the way of history and we are smack dab in the middle of a point in history.

The relationships that once seemed rock solid have been shaken and we don’t invest in each other like we used to.

What we believed to be a firm and establish constant has changed.

The day will come where we look back and don’t know how so much time has passed. The ghost ship of guilt will be within range and we’ll have to reckon with it.

I believe we know this. We know there’s risk when we launch and venture out to the unknown seas. We know it will cost us, but we also don’t count on encountering white whales. We expect difficulty but not the unexpected events that overturn our ships and leaves us bewildered in open water. Even the best redundancies and reinforcements often do not stand against the power of the chaos we can be thrown into.

So what are we supposed to do with all this gloom and doom? Stare it down like Captain Ahab, but without acquiring a whalebone for a leg or turning into an obsessed lunatic.

Number Your Days

The best way to deal with your days being numbered is to live like they are. That’s the secret. Don’t pretend it’s different.

There will be one final, “Will you give me a piggyback ride, daddy?”

There will be one final family meal around the table.

There will be one last kiss goodbye.

There will come a day we don’t recognize ourselves in the mirror anymore.

Interstellar encourages its viewers to rage against the dying of the light. No matter how hard we shake our fist at the waves that threaten to capsize us, there will come a day that we fall. Each of us is appointed a day to die.

We could take this in so many directions for application, but the one path I want to follow is live like today may be the last day of our lives.  

None of us are immune. We will age. We will become unrecognizable as our bodies rebel against us. We will feel the ache as what once felt permanent works it’s way loose and leaves us disoriented.

Fathers, we can’t let the sun go down on our anger. We can’t nurture our frustrations. We can’t let the path of ease rot us to where we’re no good for anything other than being tied into a dock at the harbor. We have to teach our sons to not be ruled by petty anger and fault finding. We have to win the fight against lust and train our sons to do the same. We can’t pour all of our energy into work and sports but then give them only the dregs that cling to the side of an empty mug. If you do, the time will pass and one day you’ll be wondering what happened. We have to show our boys by the example of our lives that our days will not be forever, and by doing so guide them not to squander the time we’re given.

I’m not even calling us to grand things. Encourage your son to invest in himself and spend your time showing him the way. The future is worth fighting for and the first enemy our sons will have to overcome is their own disregard to do and be nothing. The world won’t change if our sons are anesthetized with apathy.

Physical achievements are good things. If we encourage our sons to run faster, jump higher, lift heavier, throw farther to the neglect of their character then we have failed. We must ask ourselves: what kind of young man am I unleashing into the world? Don’t lie to yourself. You’ll be tempted to see your boys with rose colored glasses. We need the light of the Bible to be our lantern in the dark lest we sail way off course to the heading of what’s right in our own eyes.

Hebrews 12 tells us there are some things that cannot be shaken, and God will shake things up so the things that can be shaken fall away. What God is building in His kingdom will last forever. Without going down a theological rabbit hole because I need to wrap this up, the days of our life are numbered but all of life in Christ will endure in life everlasting. He conquered death on the cross, and one day even death will be fully shaken off in resurrection. There is a point to it all. Your work to the glory of God today will echo into eternity.

Our sons will be out on their own before we know it and our influence will diminish. There may be a wave building today that crashes against us tomorrow. You may have to make sacrifices of your time, your money, your ego, or your bitterness and resentment. What scrap are you holding onto? What are you trading those things for? What seeds are you sowing with your actions into these little ones?

Tell them you love them.

Praise good behavior and correct bad behavior.

Share your life.

Don’t harbor offenses.

Read with them. Engage with them. Serve with them.

Invest in your family.

Don’t squander the days you’re given.

And kiss your wife goodbye before you leave for the day. You don’t know if it will be the last time.

We will return to dust. Our time is short, so love the Lord and your family and your neighbors with all you’ve got. Heed the call to adventure and embrace the difficult path. Present to the Lord a heart of wisdom. It may feel like winter but spring is coming.

Tomorrow will be here before we know it.

I’ll talk to y’all in two weeks.

~ J.P. Simons