Life is short. Seize the day. Carpe Diem. How many times have you heard this admonition? The old can do the math. They see their days dwindling. Each day becomes more precious. When they say Carpe Diem, the old usually mean treasure every moment, enjoy every day, and don’t waste a minute. Those who live without hope mean something along the lines of “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32c NIV) The hopeless feel as if life is slipping through their fingers. They can’t claw back even one day from the past. Knowing this, the old man grumbles how youth is wasted on the young.
Maybe this sounds like good advice, but it is flawed. Time is not a limited commodity. We are not running out of time. Humans consist of soul and spirit dwelling in the body, according to the Bible. Only the body dies when it stops breathing, so only the flesh is running out of time. Paul referred to the body as a tent that we dwell in for a short while. God has a heavenly dwelling for us to occupy in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). We should not consider ourselves trapped in time, for only our bodies are. The soul and spirit do not expire. Therefore, an accurate view of life is the eternal timeline. Time is not a limited resource. So, how then should we be spending our time? We should pour our lives out in service to others, doing everything to honor our Creator.
There is one deadline before the earthy tent dies, one thing that can’t wait until later. Forgiveness of sin for salvation through Christ Jesus. It is something that determines the eternal destination of our soul and spirit. Do we wish to live forever with God in heaven or live eternally separated from our Creator in hell? This decision must be made before death, because of the sin problem. Sin cannot exist with God. It must be separated from His holiness. It follows that a sinful man cannot dwell with God until his sin has been paid for. John 3:16 explains how Jesus paid the penalty of sin with His death on the cross. His resurrection from the dead proved his victory! Now, the way to heaven has been opened. Each human must either accept Christ’s solution for sin and follow Him, or refuse the gift and reject Jesus Christ. This decision is the primary objective of life, and therefore the chief aim of fatherhood.
Carpe Diem. A more accurate translation of the Latin is “pluck the day [as it is ripe]” A day is a vine heavy with ripe fruit. A father should harvest each day’s opportunities. Teach your kids about God. Study the Bible with them. Help them to understand that they must choose whether they accept Christ’s payment for their sin and follow Him or reject him. Teach them to measure the importance of that decision. There is nothing more important in life than knowing and following Jesus Christ.
When your kids are grown and gone from your home your main window of influence will be closed. Will you be able to rest easy? Will you be satisfied that you gave them the knowledge to make decisions on an eternal playing field? You will probably not agree with all their life choices. Jobs. Finances. Purchases. Friends. Spouse. All those decisions won’t be in your hands anymore, but if they love Jesus you can be at peace. The primary objective has been met.
The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
Proverbs 23:24 NIV
