Borrowed Time

Add this to the list of things my younger self never, ever. EVER thought I would say...

It's days like these, when I am watching history happen, that I miss not having students at home with whom to discuss the implications and ramifications of the stuff that will show up in their childrens' history books. You know.. what we called homeschool. I miss it (well... I miss some of it!). And last night... when I got to talk to my daughter on her drive from Birmingham back to Auburn... some of the first words out of my mouth were... "I'm so glad you called. We have SO MUCH to talk about!" She was kind when she sweetly said (with a song in her voice and a smile on her face I could hear even though I couldn't see), "I know." I'm sure what she really wanted to say was... "Dad... CALM DOWN!" And now you see why folks were worried about my wife when she was the only one left at home. With me! But in all seriousness, there really is something I want to talk about...

Debt. The kind that can collapse a country. That's what I want to talk about. Sort of.

Well... OK... I don't really want to talk about the national debt. I don't want to talk about borrowing from Peter to pay back Paul. I don't really want to talk about prudent fiscal policy. While these are all great subject matter studies from an historical and economic perspective, I don't want to talk about our nation's approach to spending money as much as I want to talk about the kind of debt that reaches the depths of our souls. An indebtedness which no earning potential or borrowing power could repay... living on borrowed time... now, that's what I really want to talk about.

When you borrow something, at some point... you have to pay it back. Or, at least, that's how it's supposed to work. But when it comes to borrowed time, once time is gone, there's no way to get it back. And... you can't get any more of it than is given to you with each tick of the mantle clock. AND... as long as we live on borrowed time, we're drowning in sin debt if we're determined to spend our time as we please. I know... I know... the phrase "living on borrowed time" is typically used to refer to someone who has lived longer than expected given a certain circumstance; but seeing as how no one knows the day or time when they will leave this earth, were all still here on borrowed time. And... we will all continue stacking up sin debt until we accept the fact that there is no earthly way to repay all that we owe. Our only hope for forgiveness from the debt and depths of our sin is found in Him.

He paid it all. All to Him I owe. My sin had left me crimson-stained... but He washed me white as snow. He will forgive your debts, too... if you will only ask Him.

"He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross" - Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV)