Articles
Carpe Diem
The Roman poet Horace is most famous for this phrase which, literally translated, means ‘pluck the day,’ but it more commonly translated as ‘seize the day.’ The line comes from Horace’s first book of Odes, and the relevant line is as follows:
In the moment of our talking, envious time has ebb’d away.
Seize the present; trust tomorrow e’en as little as you may.
The intent of the phrase, as it is used most often today, is to enjoy the moment while you have it; in its original use by Horace, it was an admonition to make the best use of today, for one does not know what tomorrow will bring — or if there will even be a ‘tomorrow.’
The way the phrase is used today quite often comes down to the user’s view of life itself; for one who believes this world is all there is, it might be used as another way of saying, “Have all the fun you can because you only have today!” Such statements are reminiscent of the phrase that was popular not long ago: YOLO [You Only Live Once]; those who said it were most likely about to do something dangerous or just dumb, and demonstrated a lack of understanding of the danger, lack of fear, or common sense — or all of the above. Quite often, it was not a show of courage, as they hoped others would believe, but a demonstration of ignorance and stupidity.
It seems man has a habit of inventing phrases similar to this throughout history:
Live life for all it’s worth!
Go for the gusto!
Live life to the fullest!
Do all you can while you can!
No time like the present!
You only live once!
Many of these phrases are meant to inspire individuals to follow their dream, try a new thing, do something exciting or dangerous, or take advantage of that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sadly, in many cases and situations where these phrases are uttered, there is little to no thought about this life being truly all we have, or this day or this moment being the only one we have, the reality of an eternal existence after this life, and the Judgment we all will face when we hear where we will spend eternity.
You see, these phrases are not wrong, in that they speak to the reality we only have right now, and cannot know whether we even have a tomorrow; the problem is, they quite often ignore or deny the simultaneous reality that we will all one day have to give an answer to our Creator for the life that we have lived here on Earth, the choices we made, and the things we did. While many would like to believe that life is all about being happy and having fun, the truth is, our purpose in life is not simply to have a good time, but to honor and serve our Creator. A man who tried the “life is all about having fun” path realized afterwards, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Eccl. 12:13).
That same wise writer had said earlier, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment” (Eccl. 11:98). It isn’t that God doesn’t want us to ‘have fun’ or enjoy life; he even noted that it is part of life that one should enjoy the fruits of his labor (Eccl. 2:24; Eccl. 3:13; Eccl. 5:18). The point of life is not simply to enjoy it and have fun, but to recognize this life is not all there is, and that our Creator expects us to acknowledge His existence, His glory, and His love for us. He certainly gives man the freedom to live as he chooses, but He also wants us to know that we will one day have to answer for how we have lived. With that in mind, let’s look at the phrase carpe diem in a little different light.
Don’t Put Off Obeying the Lord’s Will. The apostle Paul pleaded with those who would hear him and read his words that they must not neglect the opportunity for reconciliation to God, made possible through the death of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:12-21), and after making this plea, then further pleaded that they not receive God’s grace in vain by putting off that reconciliation, plainly stating, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:1, 2). In effect, Paul was saying to them, “Seize the day! Obey and receive God’s grace and reconciliation while you can!” We would make that same plea today to anyone who has yet to receive God’s grace and forgiveness through their obedience to His will.
Paul himself would once be on the receiving end of such an admonition, when Ananias met him in Damascus. It was there he found the man who was then known as Saul — one of the church’s greatest persecutors. But after the Lord met Saul on the road to Damascus and told him to go into the city where he would be told what to do (Acts 9:1-9), he would be met by Ananias, who was sent to Saul by the Lord. Ananias told him of the Lord’s plan for him to be the one to bring the gospel to the world, but then told him, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:12-16). Again, it might be said that Saul was being told, “Seize the day! Be baptized right now that you may be forgiven!”
Don’t Put Off Teaching Others About Salvation. When Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, he admonished them, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15, 16). The NIV translates this as “making the most of every opportunity,” and the ESV translates it as “making the best use of the time.” In effect, Paul [therefore, God] is telling us, “Seize the day! Make the best of your opportunities!” But opportunities for what? Having fun? Enjoying life? That’s what the world might say, but God’s people have a different perspective, do we not?
If we understand our Lord came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and that Paul himself did everything he could, and said he had “become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-22), can we not see that our time is best spent trying to save souls, too? Seize the day! Make the best use of your time by trying to lead others to salvation!
Don’t Put Off Doing Good. How many times have we shaken our heads at the evil deeds that flood our world, saying, “Someone should do something”? Well, you can do something; I can do something; we all can do something, and if we all did something good for others, we could certainly make a difference in the world around us and, at the same time, give occasion for others to “see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Let us note that John also asked, rhetorically, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). Note that he did not say that if we see our brother in need, we wait for someone else to do ‘something,’ and didn’t say we wait until he tells us he has a need. If we see the opportunity to help our brother in need, or our neighbor [which is everyone, Luke 10:25-37], then seize the day — take that opportunity to do some good right then. If we do not, then to us it is sin (Jas. 4:17).
While the world looks at each day as an opportunity to fulfill selfish desires, let us do better. Carpe diem! — Steven Harper
