Mike’s Musings  …                                                                

Clocks

   While we have several clocks in our house, there are two that mean a great deal to me, plus two watches with immense sentimental value. I “inherited” my Grandma VanFossen’s kitchen clock, my Grandmother Davis’ mantel clock, my Grandpa VanFossen’s pocket watch, and my great-uncle Stanley Sheridan’s pocket watch. Presently, I’ve arranged to have both Grandmother Davis’ clock and Grandpa Van’s watch repaired so they will run properly.

   My wife asked me why I wanted these two fixed and my reply was simple, “Because they need to run.” Frankly, I miss the quarterly sounds of the Westminster chimes of the mantel clock, and I miss the daily winding of Grandpa’s old watch. Sure, I can look at my phone, glimpse at the dashboard, check my computer, or read the digital clock on the radio, but these are special to me!

   But none of these time instruments will add another second to any future. Genesis chapter one introduces “time” and there is no mention of a clock in the whole chapter. God divided light from darkness and the evening and morning constituted a day. It is man who invented the clock and determined twelve hours for light, twelve for darkness, and thus twenty-four hours to each day. God was satisfied with light and dark, and changing the amount of each as we entered and exited each season of a year. It is man who composed calendars and based their dating in various ways. Still, God has been satisfied with day and night, in a sequence of seven times. We’ve been dependent on the Gregorian calendar for so long we don’t know any other means of dates. We accept the seven days a week (which is Scriptural) beginning on the Lord’s Day (the first day of the week) and ending on Saturday (man’s name for the seventh day, known in the O.T. as Sabbath.)

   I muse on such timepieces. When I was a child, someone tried to convince me that every clock and watch were embarrassed because they always had their hands covering their faces! I submit that in our world, we are the embarrassing items for our apathetic use of time! We tend to believe time is ours to use as we please. But if we muse carefully on the fact that God doesn’t count time as we do (2 Peter 3:8), we might better realize our salvation is nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11). Further, you can’t rewind God’s clock; once that time is gone, it is gone.

   I muse also that eternity has neither beginning nor ending of time. We can’t fathom that with our finite comprehension, but it is true. Therefore, doesn’t it behoove us to use time as we know it wisely? Maybe we need to fix our clocks and watches and don’t forget to wind them. The time will come when we can’t!