The Fear of Running Out of Time
There’s a dark cloud that likes to hover over me from time to time.
It used to be constant and never let up unrelentingly. Replaying memories on a loop. Spinning circles in my mind about what could have been and what I still lacked.
Despair dragged me. Resentment simmered underneath. And desperation flared loudly.
But acting out of desperation doesn’t bring the peace or fulfillment we think it will.
In fact, it can delay the very dreams we’re chasing.
Desperation can dress things up to look like success, but it’s a temporary fix. Becoming a counterfeit version of what we truly desire.
This is what happens when we believe the lie that we are running out of time.
The internal clock never seems to stop ticking:
Time to get married.
Time to buy the house.
Time to have the baby.
Time to hit that career milestone.
Time. Time. Time. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
We feel the pressure of time slipping away, but what if we stopped running and started trusting?
What if we remembered that God is the Creator of time, the Keeper of time, and the Definer of time?
It’s not easy. But here are a few reminders that have helped me when life doesn’t look the way I expected:
1. Ask yourself: Who told you that you were behind?
Sometimes we allow outside voices to seep in. And before we know it, someone else’s timeline becomes our inner critic. But here’s the truth: they don’t know your full story.
They’re not God. They don’t carry your calling, your pace, or your process. Listen to trusted confidants for advice, but ultimately you have to make the choice that God is leading you to, and not the life others want for you.
2. Can you actually carry what you're asking for right now?
It’s a hard question, but an honest one. Sometimes the delay is a gift of preparation. If you received it all today, would you have the emotional, spiritual, and physical capacity to carry it?
God isn’t withholding from you. He’s preparing you. And He loves you too much to give you something you can’t yet sustain.
3. Be present.
I used to live in a constant mental state of what’s next. I rarely paused to enjoy what I already had. I had to ask myself: If I got everything I’m praying for today, would I even be satisfied? Or would I still be chasing the next thing?
That question exposed something deep:
I didn’t have a time problem. I had a contentment problem.
If that hit you the way it did me, here’s your gentle reminder: You are not late. You are not behind. You are not running out of time.
You are right where you need to be.
God is not in a rush. And if your story doesn’t look like theirs, that’s okay. Because it’s not supposed to.
You can trust the God who writes your story.
Allow Him to shift your heart perspective about life.
Because you can freely live right here, in this moment, and know that it’s not too late for you.
Your life is not a race. It’s a walk with God. And He’s never taken a wrong step.