Tick tock, tick tock—
grandfather clocks, chiming clocks, anniversary clocks, table clocks, handmade clocks, digital clocks, battery clocks—these were a few of the clocks ticking away in my home.    Tick tock, tick tock…

At least that’s what they were supposed to do! Tick tock, tick tock—my husband loved clocks and when he was here they never seemed to stop. Since he’s been gone, there was always one or two silently demanding my attention, and I attempted to keep them going because he loved them. Somehow, if the clocks were ticking and grandfather was chiming, I felt better…

And then I moved. Grandfather came with me and has refused to tick or chime again, but time hasn’t stopped, it continues on in its perpetual journey. I sometimes wonder if the clocks that didn’t come with me still tick or if they stopped too. Tick tock, tick tock…

Clocks have been on my mind lately as the seconds and minutes turn into days, weeks, months, and years. Do you know that by the time a person reaches the age of 75, the clocks and watches of this world will have ticked away nearly 2.5 billion seconds! Trivia, yes, but my nit-picky mind just showed up, and now, I am wondering if God has a clock.

In 1947, scientists created what was called the Doomsday Clock to symbolically show how close the world was to a nuclear holocaust. It is based on nuclear security, sea levels, atmospheric carbon dioxide, global temperature differences, arctic sea ice, emerging dangers, cyber threats, bio security, and other threats.

In 1953, the hands were set to two minutes before midnight after the U. S. tested a hydrogen bomb. Since then the hands have been reset and pushed back more than 15 times.

In 2011 when I first wrote about the Doomsday Clock, it was 5 minutes to midnight.

In 2015, it moved from 5 to 3 minutes before midnight.

And 2017, the minute hand has moved again from 3 to 2-1/2 minutes to midnight.

Throughout the centuries, many have tried to foretell the future and set the hands of God’s clock by predicting the hour of Christ’s return. And yes, we’d all like to know so we could be ready. The Bible makes it clear that God has a timetable, but Christ said no one knows about it except the Father (Matthew 24:36). It appears that God’s “eternal clock” is ticking.

The Bible also tells me that “with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” Oh, yes, I‘ve definitely had a few days that seemed a thousand years long. I bet you’ve had some of those, too.

There’s a lot about “time” in the Bible, five hundred references to be exact. Many of the verses tell us there is a time and place for everything. In other words, my timing and God’s timing may not always coincide. Ecclesiastes has much to say about timing.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a  time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
–Ecc. 3:1-8

God says that “All the days ordained for me were written in His book before one of them came to be.”(Psalm 139:16). I struggled with this when I watched my husband’s last days crawl slowly by while he was trapped in mental confusion and in a body that couldn’t move without help.

Tick tock, tick tock…then I remembered that God’s eternal clock is not dependant on the man-made Doomsday Clock—that God is not hampered by age and infirmity. God has no problem talking to a confused mind, and I was and am comforted because I know God and my husband spent lots of time together during his healthy years.

The conundrum of time is that it’s always changing. Across this country are several time zones and still more around the world. Of course, we can’t forget the confusion of daylight savings time. I remember when I was a child it felt like an eternity from Christmas to Christmas. Now, it seems I just get the decorations put away and I have to get them out again. The clock seems to be ticking faster as I get older.

So I ask myself, while I am healthy in mind and body…
Did I make this day count? Did I start and end my day with Him?
Did I do what God planned for me, what He has written in His Book?
Am I making the most of the seconds, minutes, hours, and days that God has allotted me?
Did I really value my time today, realizing that beyond earthly time lies eternity?

Am I casting my shadow in eternity, or only in this fleeting world?

The eternal clock is ticking …

Tick tock, tick tock