Time

Wishing all who are reading this a very happy new year! As we close out 2025 and embark on a new year, I'm sure some of us are thinking of setting our new year’s resolution and making plans for the year ahead. It's the time of year where gyms are more crowded and park connectors are getting increasingly packed. At the time of writing this, I'm also in the midst of making some plans & fitness goals for the next few months and planning out my time. A very cliche motivational phrase that everyone likes to say is that “everyone has 24 hours in a day, it's how you plan your time,” but as I ponder further, is that really true? In a larger timeframe, we never know how much time we have left in this world. Not the best way to look at it, but I guess it is true. But one thing is for sure, not all time is made equal. For some reason, time speeds up when you're on holiday, but slows down when you're doing a plank.

During my recent travels to Japan, a very common mode of transportation I took was the shinkansen or high speed rail from city to city. The Japanese are famously known for being on time and respecting schedules. If the train was scheduled to depart at 8.00am, the train would arrive at about 7.59am, and depart at 8.00am sharp. If you missed your train, sorry, you got to wait for the next train, which could very possibly be 45mins - 1hr later, depending on where your destination is. I think in some sense, because of that, I was quite on the edge most of the time, checking the time, making sure not to miss the train. We don't usually experience that in Singapore since the MRT wait times are generally quite short and nobody really cares if you miss the train. Even the estimated wait time indicated on the MRT platform doesn't seem to be quite accurate and only serves more like a reference.

So, it got me thinking. How differently would people act if they knew exactly when their time was up? Surely there will be a big difference. But the fact is, we never know when exactly our time is up. Likewise, we never know when will be the Second Coming of the Lord. Matthew 24:43-44 says, “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” I think in some sense, there is the illusion of time at play. I would think logically, if you don't know when, then more so you will guard yourself and make preparations. But that's not necessarily the case. The false sense of security thinking there's still time is pretty dangerous.

That being said, it draws me to the point that we should always be ready. There are many examples stated in the Bible warning us to be ready as no one knows the day or hour of Jesus' return. Take the example of the people of Noah’s time. They knew nothing of the flood till it came as described in Matthew 24:37-39. Another example is the one found in Luke where 18 people died when the tower of Siloam fell and killed them (Luke 13:4). With this much uncertainty, are we confident to say that we are ready at this very moment? As much as death is an uncomfortable topic to think about, it is a very real situation which we must face as humans, and therefore should give some thought towards.   

Wow, I definitely didn't expect this article to take such a dark turn. Not trying to dull the new year mood, but I think it was quite a reminder for myself as I was pondering on what to write about. But I think in some sense it was also an encouraging thought for me, knowing that suffering on earth is finite. I think this serves as a reminder for me and hopefully to all reading this about how we are using our limited & unknown amount of time. Some things which I will be doing as part of my new year resolution would be to pray more often. I think it keeps me locked in, reminding myself that God is ultimately in control. Be it through good times or bad times, I want to remind myself of the presence of God. I believe that is always the first step to being on guard, which is to recognise the situation in the first place. A hymn which always gives me comfort is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. In the first stanza, it says “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” I find this very comforting, knowing that we actually have Jesus on our side. All we have to do is to pray. I hope this piece gives comfort to all who are going through tough times, and encouragement to anyone reading this!