I sometimes find it hard to believe how quickly the months change and the years fly by.

I must be getting old!

Age does funny things to you. Time does appear to go faster as you get older. How many of us remember the “long summer holidays” of our school years? And now those six weeks, like every six weeks, appear to pass in a flash.

On the other hand, for some in their older years, time drags. This is especially so for those who live alone with only occasional visitors or phone calls. Or when that hospital appointment or operation has been delayed again and the pain or discomfort is getting too much to bear.

Time is indeed a strange thing. Dragging in some circumstances and flying by in others. It would appear that God shares something of this experience, but on a grander scale. “For the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)

Indeed, in the Kingdom of God (that is, living under the rule and reign of God), the passage of time is not such an important issue. What counts is how we live in the present, in this particular moment, with all its challenges and opportunities. The future, and the past, are not the things that should dominate our thinking or our actions.

As Jesus taught us, “Do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?’ ….. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things. So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own.” (Matthew 6:31-34)

Similarly, the value of a human life is not to be judged by its length but by its specialness. Each person created in the image of God but reflecting that image through a unique character and set of life circumstances, whether an octogenarian or an infant.

We celebrate Whit Sunday, remembering when the Holy Spirit overwhelmed the first disciples of Jesus and changed them from uncertain witnesses of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus into bold proclaimers of the divine nature and vital saving work of Jesus.

It is the presence of this Spirit which can transform the life of any person, of what ever age, and draw them into a deep and effective relationship with God. As Peter said, quoting God’s words through the prophet Joel, “I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message.” (Acts 2:17-18)

My life and priorities have not been the same since that first day God’s Spirit overwhelmed me and I’m glad that it was not a one off experience but that every day, whatever my age, His Spirit is there to guide, inspire and empower me.

May this be true for us all, so that each day, at whatever age, we are responding to the presence of God’s Spirit, receiving inspiring visions and boldly demonstrating and proclaiming the life-transforming message of Jesus.

Yours in Him

Bob