Spend Time Wisely
Teach us to number our days, that we
may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12
We think we’ve got all the time in the world, don’t
we? That little cliché rests deep in our hearts. We’re certain we can
procrastinate, put off, wait another day for whatever it is we know we should
do.
Then one day, sometimes without warning, everything
changes. Sudden death, illness, divorce, job loss. The list could go on and on.
But there is one thing they all have in common: You and the life you imagined
have changed forever.
Have you ever known someone who retired and then,
within just a few months, was dead? All their life they’d dreamed about
retirement. They were going to sleep late, lounge in the recliner, watch
endless TV. It was going to be the perfect life. They just never expected death
to come so quickly.
Or what about the man who worked hard year after year
so that one day he could retire and travel tirelessly with his wife? It was
going to be the perfect life. Except that in his relentless pursuit of the
future, he put off medical checkups in the present. By the time the doctor
found the cancer, it has spread. Stage IV, they called it. He won’t live long
enough to take all those trips he postponed.
We tell ourselves we’ll play with our kids or grandkids
“one day.” We promise to call, to write, to visit “one day.” We’re going to
volunteer at the food pantry “one day.” We’re going to read the Bible all the
way through “one day.” Do you see a pattern here?
None of us are promised anything beyond this moment.
Yet we live our lives as though we’ve got forever to get around to doing what
we’d always intended to do. Why is that?
We are a people who like to procrastinate. We settle down
into our comfortable lives of today and dream about a tomorrow that may never
come. We put off living until it’s too late. Then we look back and wonder what
took us so long to realize what really mattered.
People matter. Giving matters. Helping others without
expectation of anything in return matters. Sitting there watching mindless
television doesn’t really matter. Playing video games doesn’t really matter.
We’ve got our lives so messed up sometimes. We neglect
what energizes us – time with God, sleep, giving back – and focus on what drains
us – gossip, drinking, gadgets.
It’s not that zoning out in front of the TV is all
bad. Nor is playing video games or any number of other escapist activities. It’s
when those things consume us to the point that we neglect what matters most
that we need to step back and remember how fleeting life really can be.
Each of us has the same number of hours each day. How
are you spending yours? Are you moving forward, giving back, spending quality
time with those you love? Or are you turned within, just trying to get through
the days while you wait for a perfect tomorrow?
Don’t wait. Take that trip. Play with your kids. Serve
others for Christ. We don’t know how long our journey home will take so make
every day count.
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