“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
Mother Teresa spoke volumes when she uttered those words. As I get older, the 24 hours in each day and the 365 days in every year seem to hurry by more quickly. I’ve always longed for my retirement years, imagining how I’d be able to spend each day doing what I want when I want with no one telling me when or how to do it. As a teacher, I have an opportunity to sample that lifestyle for three months every summer. Since I don’t have the funds to fill my days with activities and trips, a few weeks of down time is all I need before boredom sets in.
Rather than addressing a certain period of time, Paul speaks of the span of our lives. Though everyone has the same amount of time in a day, none know how many of those days we have. If I’m not careful, mortality anxiety will rule my days and nights making them restless and sleepless. Continual thoughts of death wreak emotional havoc, making my life ineffective and unpleasant. The Bible says God gives us 70 years—and sometimes 80. While some are granted more, many are distributed less.
Living a self-actualized life where I am managing my time well involves existing under this air of uncertainty—but with a different outlook. Rather than accepting anxiety over my impending doom, I thank God for each day. I awake each morning with the intention of pursuing his will for that day while at the same time establishing goals I hope to attain three, five, and even ten years down the road…if he allows me that much time. I—like everyone else, want to leave my mark on society. Significance is a human core need, and mine should be gauged by what Christ does through me not by what I can conjure up on my own.
How are you spending the time God has awarded you?
Prayer: O God, author of time and eternity, guide us to fulfill Your plan and purposes during our short stay on earth.
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