Time flies regardless of how much fun we are having. True, it seems to fly by faster when we are having fun or doing the things we enjoy, but in reality, time flies regardless of how we perceive its passing.

I was hit again with this recently when my daughter asked me how old Steve Tyler (of Aerosmith) is. I knew he was older but most of my memories of him were from my early days when he was still young, so I added a few years on for good measure. I answered with what I thought was a reasonable guess – in his fifties. Actually he is 64. I was hit with a sense of my own mortality and middle-agedness.

Does anyone ever wonder what happens to the New Year's Babies we make so much about? They grow up quickly. By the next New Year's Eve, we are already anticipating the next New Year's baby. This baby on the cover of the 1937 Saturday Evening Post, cute then, would now be 76 and in his twilight years. The young quickly grow old.

Time waits for no man (or woman), and so we need to use the time we've been given. English writer, cleric and collector Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832) once wrote that, "Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away." Of course, we can be so driven that we don't rest and feel guilty when not every minute is productive. The point, though, is we need to be conscious of how we are using our time.

For the Christian the rationale for using our time wisely includes the fact that the days we live in are evil. "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:24) There are many things in our world which would cater to our selfish, worldly pleasures and we often choose those things over profitable Christian conduct and so we need wisdom in how to use our time to God's glory. Also, there is the ring of judgment in Ephesians 5:24. The days are evil. We know that they will come to an end and Christ will return so we need to live with a sense of urgency. Our lives, also, are short which intensifies the sense of urgency. Time is running out quickly for all of us.

In this new year, may we be conscious of our time. May we bewise in how we conduct ourselves in our pursuits. When we do have the little shreds and patches of time that Colton writes about, rest if that's what you need and if you want to accomplish much in a short time, pray. That, indeed, is time well spent.