Borrowed Time

I’ve been reading through C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters this summer as part of a Summer devotional through the Fellows Program.  Today I was reading chapter 21.  In this dialogue, Lewis makes the point that while humans often think they own things—property, possessions, even relationships—we are merely deceiving ourselves.  In reality God owns it all.

And, as Lewis points out, it’s easy to fall into this entitlement mindset.  We refer to “my house,” or “my mother” or “my computer.”  Maybe it’s “my money” or “my job” or “my life,” as though we are entitled to these things or perhaps we earned these things by our own hard work and rugged industry.  And we forget that we’re just stewards and these things are just being leased to us temporarily.  As Job says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return,” (Job 1:21).

I spent some time hanging out with a fellow named Dante tonight.  Dante is a linebacker on William & Mary’s football team (go out and buy the latest NCAA football video game, and you’ll see Dante’s profile for W&M—you know you’re a big deal when you are featured in a video game).

Dante was sharing with me how blessed he is and how God has provided for him in amazing ways.  And Dante has realized that these blessings are not merely for him to enjoy.  God blesses us so that we might bless others.  And as Dante dropped me off tonight, he reminded me that we’re on borrowed time.  What are we doing with the time that God has given us?

What am I doing with the time God has given me?

Usually I think of it the other way around.  I think of my time and my day and about how I should carve out a little slice of time in my day for God.  But I should think of it as God’s time and the day that the Lord has made, and the question should be whether I can squeeze these other things on my agenda into God’s time.  And I realize that many of the things I do are certainly within the scope of God’s will like taking care of my body or going to work.  But as often is the case, much of it is mindset.

I know I’ve done this before, but I think I need to do it again.  I think I need to put a note by my bed—or at least the bed that has been leased to me—so that when I awake in the morning, the first thing I see is, “You are now on God’s clock.”

Because I’m on borrowed time.