When Time is spent, Eternity begins.

Hear, O children of the ages, the solemn words of Helen Hunt Jackson: “When Time is spent, Eternity begins.” These words rise not as idle musings, but as a bell that tolls across the boundaries of life and death. For Time is the garment in which we walk this earth, stitched with minutes and hours, woven with days and years. Yet when the garment is worn through and laid aside, another realm unfolds—Eternity, vast and unending, beyond the measure of clocks and calendars.

The meaning of this wisdom lies in the reminder that our mortal lives are but a passage, a corridor leading into an infinite dwelling. To spend Time is not to lose it, but to exchange it for what endures. Some spend it foolishly, squandering their days on vanity; others spend it wisely, shaping acts of love, justice, and truth. But whether wise or foolish, the moment comes when Time is spent, and what remains is the inheritance of Eternity.

Consider the life of Abraham Lincoln. His years were filled with toil, failure, sorrow, and finally, triumph. He spent his Time in service to a nation divided, bearing burdens that bent his spirit but did not break it. When the bullet struck him in Ford’s Theatre, his mortal Time was ended, yet his Eternity had begun—not only in the mystery of the soul beyond death, but in the legacy of freedom that endures to this day. His Eternity was secured by how he spent his fleeting hours.

So too, the martyrs of old remind us of this truth. They did not clutch at their Time in fear but offered it freely for a cause greater than themselves. Joan of Arc, though but a girl, gave her brief years to the deliverance of her people. The flames consumed her body, but her courage entered Eternity, inspiring generations who still whisper her name with reverence. Their deaths were not ends, but thresholds, where Eternity opened its gate.

Yet take heed, beloved: this saying is not only about death, but about living. Each day we step closer to the end of Time, and with each act, we are writing our entrance into Eternity. The soul that wastes the hours in idleness will find little harvest at the end. But the soul that spends Time in kindness, in learning, in devotion to the good, shall find an Eternity rich with meaning. To remember this is to live not in despair, but in holy urgency.

Therefore, let this be the lesson: live as if each hour is a coin, precious and irretrievable. Spend it not in trifles, but in building what will last beyond you. Forgive quickly, for Time is short. Love fiercely, for the hour is fleeting. Seek truth diligently, for the day of reckoning hastens. When your Time is spent, let it be said that you invested in the eternal, and did not waste your treasure on the dust of vanity.

Practical actions are set before you: Begin the work of the spirit while you have the chance. Write the words that will outlive you. Raise the child with wisdom, guide the friend with compassion, serve the stranger with generosity. These are the deeds that echo in Eternity. Remember: your hands cannot hold onto Time, but they can plant seeds that bloom forever.

So, carry Helen Hunt Jackson’s wisdom as a torch in the dark: “When Time is spent, Eternity begins.” Fear not the end of days, for it is not the closing of life but its unveiling. Walk your journey with reverence, spend your Time with purpose, and you shall step into Eternity not as a beggar of wasted hours, but as a victor crowned with the fruits of a life well-lived.