6 Reminders about Time from the Last Rose of Summer

The Last Rose of Summer

King Solomon attempted to put life in perspective when he wrote, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Moses prayed,  "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). And Jesus, commenting on His earthly days (and ours as well), advised, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4).

Earlier today, I shot a photo of the last rose growing in our flower garden. Over the spring, into the summer, and now with the fall under way this flower finally makes its magnificent entrance onto planet earth. It will be here momentarily then just as quickly as it appeared, it will fade away. Meteorologists are telling us that early this week in Kansas City, we will have the season's first visit of Arctic air and the temperature will dip into the low 20s. Goodbye rose!

Between Scripture and the garden, I find some life-lessons that I want to be mindful of. 

1. Each of us lives in the present. Cherish the time God gives. It will not last. It will move hastily on. We cannot slow time down. We all live in the present.

2. As we live in the present, we also live in community. Even there, each of us is in a different stage of life. I glance over to watch my grandson and see his mother (my daughter) walk across the room. It seems like yesterday that she was the grandchild and I was the parent. We are together but find ourselves at a different stage of life. And time races on.

3. Life passes all too quickly. I recently saw a portrait of Philadelphia from the late 1800s in "Historic Pics" on Twitter. What stood out for me was that everyone in the photo (which captures a moment in time) is now deceased. Life was here and now it is gone.

4. We should do all we can to display the reality and goodness of God while we have opportunity. We never know when the present opportunity is the last we will have. Even the last rose of summer (or fall), declared God's glory even for only a moment...and then it is gone.

5. In the end, life is over. I have said many times, there is nothing so sure as death and nothing so unsure as the time. All of us have a date with death from this life when we will step into eternity.

6. If we really embrace the reality of the brevity of life and the infinity of eternity, would we not choose to live differently? Does Hebrews not teach us, "it is appointed unto man to die and after that the judgment?" And if we will be judged, should we not live our lives in light of that inevitable appointment? 

Even as the last rose fades, I am reminded that we will too. So, like the rose, let's live our moment in the sun to display the beauty God intended.

Hard work, Preparation, and Goals: 6 Lessons from the Virginia 10 Miler

JC and I after the race.

This past Saturday, my son-in-law Juan Carlos (I call him JC) and I ran the Virginia 10 Miler road race in Lynchburg. I've run some some 5Ks this past year and have been averaging 20-25 miles running each week so long as I haven't been interrupted by unforeseen circumstances. Still, the most I have run recently up to the race was 7 miles on a flat course. Gratefully, the weather was cool and clear. We had a fine time and have good memories of a well-organized race. Still, the race was tough with its hills and completing it was difficult.  Looking back on the race I have several reflections I'd like to share with you from running the Virginia 10-Miler.

1. Not everyone is created equal. Talent must be combined with hard work. The elite runners, mostly from Kenya, were finishing when I was at the 5 mile marker. I am amazed at their stamina, strength, and speed. Clearly, their genes are different than mine. Still, these runners were making the most of their ability. Talent still requires hard work to accomplish anything great.

2. Preparation precedes performance. The better prepared, the better people perform. Preparation includes time, energy, and effort. Some people trained all year to do their best. I applaud them for their stick-to-itiveness. 

3. There is no substitute for conditioning. Even though I have run in the past, even completed a marathon, over the past three years with its busyness, I did not have the time to be in condition to even finish a 10 miler. This is determined by decisions. For the most part, I am in as good a condition physically as I choose to be. It’s important to remember that yesterday's conditioning is no substitute for today's conditioning.

4. If I want to improve next year, I cannot wait until the last minute, week, or even month to get started. I know what needs to be done. I will need to work on distance and endurance. I will need to work on hills. I will need to work on speed drills and intervals. So, for me, this year is a base line. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

5. Goals drive discipline. If I know what I want to accomplish, I will break it up into a series of smaller goals. The big goal helps me stay motivated to work each week to improve.

6. In life, we often compete with ourselves. My goal was not to beat my son-in-law. It is to beat me. How can I improve over what I've done in the past? I am also competing with Father Time. I want to do what I can while I can. Like Jesus said, "The night is coming when no man can work." If I'm going to compete, I better do it now...and have fun doing it.

On my high school track team on the left, at the finish line of the Virginia 10 Miler on the right.