The one thing I know for sure about China is, I will never know China. It’s too big, too old, too diverse, too deep. There’s simply not enough time.
Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown
I remember when I heard Anthony Bourdain utter that line with his distinctive baritone voice. You could hear the resignation, the realization that no matter how hard you live large with purposeful agency, no one escapes the ticking clock. Bourdain did laps around the world. Most of us only dare to live vicariously through him, not ever genuinely living out our own purpose. Hell, most of us run from asking about purpose, let alone own it. Even if we do step out on the plank and risk a smidgen of our heart, we run out of time. Or, the brief moments of captured validity slip away like a fish on a dock. Tick-tock-tick-tock…
There’s a powerful scripture that helps narrow our focus between fluffy cotton candy and the meat of life.
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
James 4:14 (NASB)
What do we do with that verse? It can cause sheer panic if we don’t think beyond the moment. In other words, we become near-sighted and attempt to live out a series of buckets lists, striving for experiential living. Sure, go for it, I do too. Tasting life through work, travel, food and culture is crucial to the bigger puzzle. But see if you derive deep fulfillment from those commodities. Do you? Sure, for fleeting moments.
In my book I mention watching the biopic Quincy, and being astounded by his prodigious output. Watch the film, then try to name anyone who’s come close to his career. Pick any industry. Picasso? Steve Jobs? Beethoven? I couldn’t find anyone with the longevity and breadth, couldn’t pinpoint anyone who jumped genres and combined composition, producing and personal artistry (he was a highly regarded trumpeter). Quincy’s career is the equivalent of Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl in five decades. Not a chance that would happen for any player in any sport. However, in the film he touches on a deep-seeded fear of either running from something, or desperately chasing a demon to prove himself. Even if I rationalize and think wow, he crushed it, bravo to a life well-lived, that’s HIS life, not mine. What do I do with my ticking clock?
Be Urgent About True North
Tick-tock-tick-tock, and adios, we’re gone. I remember being 18 yrs old and thinking when I reached 25, I would have life discerned and ordered, with a shiny Porsche validating my transformation from idiot-boy to seasoned man of the world. Yep, that was a spit-take you heard, me chortling at the lunacy I recognize now.
The deeper I go into scripture, combined with the frequency that life takes my knees out, I realize how the brevity of years force me to chisel away the bullshit, and strive for impact. Not career impact, not fame, not hitting every country for a selfie. The only thing that matters in the end will be obedience to the Lord, which 100% must result in sacrificial service to people. The stuff that will resonate in the next life will be the times we helped our children learn to ride their bikes AND tenaciously pursue a relationship with God. It will be the times we said “You’re right and I was wrong. I apologize.” It will be the moments we sacrificed our almighty agendas and skipped the client lunch; and instead took time to look someone in the eye at Austin Street Center and say, “Nice to meet you, sir-miss. What’s your name?”
Tick-tock-tick-tock… Lord, help me use your time well.
See ya next time. ML