There is a lot of talk about climate change, but I have become aware of another situation in nature that is not getting any attention, and I think that we need to start talking about it. I first noticed this phenomenon several years ago, and it seems to be getting progressively worse. Perhaps you have noticed it too. I am talking about the dramatic increase of the earth’s gravitational pull.

Just a few years ago, I could bound up a couple of flights of stairs with ease. Nowadays the same trip leaves me gasping for air. Hills that I used to climb without a problem now require a Herculean effort. Yes, the only possible answer is that gravity is much stronger than it once was. We should pour abundant resources into solving this problem before it’s too late.

Seriously, we all slow down as we age. It’s a fact of life. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will one day. Just think about some of the older people that you have known for years and years. They were once energetic and vibrant, men and women whose arms were strong for the tasks in front of them. They were quite able and eager to do the Lord’s work. Their energy was boundless, it seemed. Tireless in their efforts, they were a force to be reckoned with as they accomplished so much for the kingdom.

However, many of these giants of the faith have slowed down dramatically. Their physical strength has weakened, and perhaps they aren’t as mentally sharp as they once were. They are still strong in their faith, but they don’t have the energy they once had to serve God and people.

We need to appreciate the ability that we have to serve while we still have it. Ecclesiastes 11 and 12 warns of the troubles that accompany old age, and urges us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth.

The apostle Paul always had a sense of urgency about his life, and he tried to pass that urgency along to other Christians. You see the theme often in his writings. In Colossians 1:28-29 he says, “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”

Jesus also taught about the importance of doing as much as we can for the Lord in the limited time that we have to do it. He says, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4). This verse reminds me of the words of a hymn that we used to sing in the church where I grew up—“Work for the night is coming, when man’s work is done.”

We only have a short time to serve the Lord in this life. Let’s make the most of it!