On the Clock

You are on the clock.

It is a rather jarring thing to be told or to consider, but it is true for every one of us. Every person has a rendezvous with physical death coming, and it is no less true for those of us without a “terminal” diagnosis. You may not know the date or time of your physical death, but you know it is coming. You are terminal. You are on the clock.

Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse is on the clock in a much more imminent sense. He was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in December and given three to four months to live. He is now enrolled in an intense clinical trial that may or may not slightly extend his life, but even so, he is—in his own words—“dying in public.”

As I’ve listened to some of Ben’s reflections about how he’s navigating his approaching death—and particularly how he is helping his family, including his 14-year-old son, process that impending death—I’ve been struck by the clarity the terminal diagnosis has given Ben. 

You would be encouraged by listening to any number of recent interviews Ben has given, but a few days ago he was asked if he was ready to die. The following is a paraphrase, but Ben responded along these lines:

“I don’t feel ready, but to whom would I go? Jesus told his disciples to keep His miracles quiet but said ‘Let the little children come to me.’ We are promised that we can run into the arms of God and call him ‘daddy,’ ‘Abba Father.’ How glorious is that! That is what I need.”

That response resonated powerfully with me because it taps into this disconnect between what you and I were made for (to be held in the arms of the Father) and what we so often think we need to be (self-determined and self-sustaining beings).

You live in a world where you feel the need to always put your best foot forward, and to “fake it until you make it.” Even if you are not ok, you feel the pressure to appear ok. It feels incredibly important to either have it all under control or give off the appearance of having it all under control.

But what you really need is to be held in the arms of the Father. What you really need is the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer of the universe to hold you close. What you really need is to be like a little child and to be welcomed near to Jesus.

Why is that what you need? Because you are on clock. This Earth, glorious as it is, is on the clock. Our days are numbered and they are short. Your date with physical death is coming. But far from being cause for worry or trepidation, it is actually the date on which you will fully know what it means to cry, ‘Abba Father,’ and to be swept up into His arms.

You are on the clock. But when you reach the arms of Jesus, time no longer has any hold, and He will be everything you need. In the meantime, my friend, as long as there is breath in your lungs, run well!

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1).

The preceding article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.