In Time is a 2011 movie that stars Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. In the year 2169, people are designed to stop aging on their 25th birthday, when a one-year countdown on their forearm begins. When it reaches zero, the person “times out” and dies instantly. Time has thus become the universal currency. What if you only had a year remaining on your life and you knew it? What would you do? How would you think about time? Would the lack of time be a constraint or an opportunity?
There is a scene in the movie where both characters come out to a nighttime view of the ocean. If you’ve ever seen the ocean at night, the vastness, the darkness, the waves, the currents can all be intimidating. One character sees the beauty, the other sees the danger. One character has a set amount of time left, the other has an infinite amount of time. Justin Timberlake’s character sees the opportunity to take a chance and jumps in. Not only does he jump in but, he convinces Amanda’s character to do the same, despite her reservations. The result is that they experience this amazing moment of connection that keeps them bonded for the rest of the movie.
Time in real life is elusive. We never know how much we have. We assume we have more of it and often pass on life changing moments because, of course we can do it later. The absence of time creates a sense of urgency and passion that motivates us to act. Our ability to influence and inspire is enhanced. Time constraints make you think faster, prepare better, react quicker because you are now anticipating the next moment.
I’ve changed my approach! Every morning I wake up, I put 24 hours on my imaginary clock. Even that short amount of time is at best, a guess and I can hear God laugh. But I ask myself, “How do I intentionally live out these next 24 hours that allows me to maximize every potential moment to influence and inspire?”
Life is simply a series of moments strung together by time. It’s up to us to create as many moments as we can with the unknown prescription of time God has given us. Start with today! Listen more, hug tighter, love Harder! Take that chance! There is a lot you can do in a day!
