Ten Thousand Years
This should only take one hour, I said to myself as I sat down at my computer and began to type my paper. When I was about half-way done, I heard my RA unlock our door and walk into our suite for her nightly room check.
"Are you kidding me? Is it already curfew?!" I asked her in disbelief. She smiled and nodded. "That means I have been working on this paper for an hour and a half already! Why does everything take so much longer than it is supposed to?" She gently listened to my complaints, gave me a quick shoulder massage (because she is the best RA ever), and left me with the encouraging words, "You can do it!"
Either I am really bad at estimating time, or things really do always take longer than I think they will. I was thinking about this the other day and realizing just how often I run out of time. I was secretly wishing for a day when I could make the sun stand still so that I would have all the time in the world to finish my homework, complete all my responsibilities, participate in all the extracurricular activities that I want to do, and still have time to call up a friend and sit on the front lawn for hours just talking and laughing. Oh, for the time.
Then I heard this song, 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman, and I repeated this verse to myself over and over again:
"And on that day when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come.
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,
Ten thousand years and then forevermore."
Ten thousand years and then forevermore. And then I realized, there is one thing that I will never run out of time to do. I may run out of time to finish my paper. I may run out of time to eat lunch before clinical. I may run out of time to go to the basketball game. But I will never ever ever run out of time to praise my God.
It also reminded me of the last verse to "Amazing Grace" that is so familiar to many:
"When we've been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
than when we first begun."
So as I secretly wished for a day when I would never run out of time, the Lord gently reminded me. "Today is the day, Ashli. You will never run out of time to get to know me, to worship me, to love me." With that, I took a deep breathe and relaxed my entire body and soul.
Suddenly, it didn't matter so much that it took me two and a half hours instead of one to write my paper. It didn't matter that I was going to bed at 1:30 AM once again to get everything done that needed to be done. Because there is one thing that we will never run out of time to do. There is one thing that we will enjoy forever. We have all of eternity to get to know the amazing God of the Universe, the intimate Dweller within our hearts, the powerful Sustainer of our very beings. And eternity starts now.
We have ten thousand years and then forevermore, staring today.
"Are you kidding me? Is it already curfew?!" I asked her in disbelief. She smiled and nodded. "That means I have been working on this paper for an hour and a half already! Why does everything take so much longer than it is supposed to?" She gently listened to my complaints, gave me a quick shoulder massage (because she is the best RA ever), and left me with the encouraging words, "You can do it!"
Either I am really bad at estimating time, or things really do always take longer than I think they will. I was thinking about this the other day and realizing just how often I run out of time. I was secretly wishing for a day when I could make the sun stand still so that I would have all the time in the world to finish my homework, complete all my responsibilities, participate in all the extracurricular activities that I want to do, and still have time to call up a friend and sit on the front lawn for hours just talking and laughing. Oh, for the time.
Then I heard this song, 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman, and I repeated this verse to myself over and over again:
"And on that day when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come.
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,
Ten thousand years and then forevermore."
Ten thousand years and then forevermore. And then I realized, there is one thing that I will never run out of time to do. I may run out of time to finish my paper. I may run out of time to eat lunch before clinical. I may run out of time to go to the basketball game. But I will never ever ever run out of time to praise my God.
It also reminded me of the last verse to "Amazing Grace" that is so familiar to many:
"When we've been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
than when we first begun."
So as I secretly wished for a day when I would never run out of time, the Lord gently reminded me. "Today is the day, Ashli. You will never run out of time to get to know me, to worship me, to love me." With that, I took a deep breathe and relaxed my entire body and soul.
Suddenly, it didn't matter so much that it took me two and a half hours instead of one to write my paper. It didn't matter that I was going to bed at 1:30 AM once again to get everything done that needed to be done. Because there is one thing that we will never run out of time to do. There is one thing that we will enjoy forever. We have all of eternity to get to know the amazing God of the Universe, the intimate Dweller within our hearts, the powerful Sustainer of our very beings. And eternity starts now.
We have ten thousand years and then forevermore, staring today.
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