Monday, April 07, 2008

Time and Tide Wait for No Man

I heard a great quote today from one of my doctors. He was commenting on his upcoming retirement, and was politely telling me that he would be passing my case along to one of his colleagues...as he put it, "sorry, but, time and tide wait for no man." My first thought was a bit jumbled as I pondered the depth of such a comment by a gastroenterologist in the twilight of his career. Was he telling me that he'd rather be sailing? Perhaps. More likely, he was just sending a kind reminder that humans are frail, temporal, and imperfect. We cannot count on either the rhythyms of career life or the joys of retirement.





Time goes on; the tide comes in and goes out steadily, at once both impeccably beautiful and terribly daunting. Our lives are subject to both of these earthly restraints. Our Creator God, however, is over both. Time is merely man made; the tide is part of His handiwork; He is subject to neither, and therefore able to give us the bits of wisdom to transcend the "restraints" and enjoy the beauty. Indeed, time and tide wait for no man.

1 comment:

The Smiths said...

Todd, thanks for sharing about this encounter and your sense of perspective. You are one of the most spiritually receptive people I know, and am thankful for your openness.

Looking forward to talking with you soon.

RT