Deadlines. Depending on your point-of-view, you either hate them or love them. Rarely are we ambivalent. For example, you probably love payday -- the deadline for your company or organization to have their personnel payment issues in order. But, you might hate deadlines at your job -- the looming calendar guillotine for turning in a project or completing a necessary task. Bedtime was a non-negotiable deadline when I was a kid. (As a night-owl, I hated it. But I think my parents loved it.) April 15, every year... Let's just say I'm glad I don't work at the post office.
When I first began serving in ministry, I wasn't sure how I felt about deadlines. Discipleship weekend deadlines were made to be broken. Camp registration people were too legalistic; after all, this kid needs to be there! I felt guilty enforcing deadlines. After all, God is merciful and gracious! I wanted people to see mercy and grace in me as a follower of Jesus. What's an hour? A day? A week? After all, people were often all too enslaved by their calendars!
This week, we are wrapping up registration at our church for the "More Than a Backpack" outreach effort. Together with other churches from our local Baptist Association, we are helping provide backpacks and school supplies to needy families in our area. Registration began in May and was slow, like the trickle from a leaky faucet. But this week is the last week for registration, and the flood has come. And it's great. But today is the last day of registration, and now have come the flood of calls, wanting information. And when they hear that today is the last day, sometimes there's a call for leniency. "We can't make it today." "Please, please, pretty please, with a cherry on top, can we come by tomorrow?" "The car is out of gas." "The dog is having surgery." "We just found out." "We just moved here." Some requests seem more reasonable than others, some just make me feel fat guilty. What's one more day?
Years ago, as I struggled with this same issue, I was gently reminded in a moment of prayer that sticking to deadlines is, in fact, a very good thing to do. A godly thing, actually. Perhaps even worshipful. Deadlines remind us of the truths of eschatology, which is a fancy way of saying, "the final things."
Yes, God is merciful to those who call out to Him. He is gracious, forgiving evil and all kinds of foolishness. But... there will come a time when the hours of pardon will come to an end. There will be a day that is the final deadline, when the end comes and our window of opportunity will close. No appeals. No second chances. No "wait, wait, wait..." The end will come for you, and for me. Just because we don't know the particular when, be it by death or by the triumphant return of Christ, doesn't make it any less real.
Deadlines remind us that finality is real, but that opportunity remains. When we miss a deadline and we encounter that sinking feeling that something was missed, it might remind us that our time is precious, and that we should make the most of each fleeting breath. It might remind us on a small scale to repent from sin and trust Christ as Lord now, since either by hook or by crook, our own personal deadline is approaching.
Plus, isn't it just nice to know that you have things in order with time remaining on the clock?
