2017 is upon us! Hard to believe that 2016 has come and gone so quickly. I recently heard a unique “Physics” explanation as to why time seems to move faster the older we become. It’s based on the concept of “Relativity” and can be explained like this…
While in a car moving at 70 mph, if you were to throw a ball forward at the slow speed of 30 mph, that ball would actually be moving at 100 mph! Now consider that it is almost impossible for our eyes to follow a fastball pitch of 100 mph, yet for everyone in that car (moving at 70 mph), that ball thrown at 30 mph would appear to move quite slow and it would be very observable. Another way to express this concept is the “Ratio Theory” which states that the amount of time passed is “relative” to one’s age.
- For a 5-year-old, one year is 20% of their life.
- For a 25-year-old, one year is 4% of their life.
- For a 50-year-old, one year is 2% of their life.
- For an 80-year-old, one year is 1.25% of their life.
This theory suggests our brain has the tendency of comparing time intervals with the total amount of time we’ve already lived.
So how does this apply to life moving faster as we age? When we are younger, we simply don’t have a lot of experiences to which we can compare the events of life we are currently moving through. Things are fresh and new. We get up close to observe and inspect those new events with awe, wonder, and fresh curiosity. That part of our life takes place “in the car” with the “moving ball” of life events. Life moves slowly. But as we live through more and more experiences (the valleys and mountains of life), there is more to which we can compare our current life events. We are less curious. There is no time for awe and wonder. The result? Life zooms past us at blinding speeds. Here is a little side thought.
Considering this “Ratio Theory,” just imagine how “quickly” time is passing for our Eternal Heavenly Father!! No wonder the Psalmist wrote: “Lord, You have been our dwelling place… from everlasting to everlasting, You are God… For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:1,2,4). And yet our infinitely eternal Father takes time to enter into the minute details of each of our lives. How amazing! Job stated:
“What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?”.
Job 7:17-18 NKJV
Eternity takes on new meaning when we consider this phenomenon of time moving more quickly the longer we live. Like the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” states:
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Then when we’d first begun.
The Psalmist (Moses) understood this unique concept of time passing so quickly. This is why he prayed this way:
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
My prayer for this New Year of 2017 is that God would recreate within us a fresh childlike curiosity filled with awe and wonder to be able to savor the precious “Kodak Moments” of life – those subtle moments of life in which even our eternal Heavenly Father “slows down” to get intimately close to bless us on a moment by moment basis.
“Blessed be the Lord who DAILY loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19).
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalms 103:2 NKJV).
Enjoy every blessing of 2017!
Never lose the awe and wonder of life!
