Time and Life

Brother, know that time has no being in itself, but only insofar as it is touched by eternity; for all that we call “yesterday” and “tomorrow” are but shadows of the moment in which God calls us into life. A man is troubled by the passing of time because he does not see that true life does not flow, but remains, for only created things slip away, while the things of God stand unmoved. Therefore, he who fastens his heart to time withers with it, but he who fastens his heart to Christ enters into the rest that does not end. Remember: this life contains all things, sorrows and joys, beginnings and endings, yet it is contained by nothing except the eternal life that the Lord has given to those who love Him. For thus the Holy Apostles taught: “In Him we live and move and have our being,” and the Holy Fathers bore witness that eternity does not come after time, but passes through it. Therefore, brother, do not measure yourself by the clock, but by the light; and do not ask how much has passed, but how much you have remained in God. For time is lost, but eternity is gained, and he who guards his heart in Christ is no longer a slave of the moment, but a son of the Kingdom.