This past summer, I had to say goodbye to my grandma’s cottage. This cottage had been in the family for over 60 years. Although for years she said she was going to sell it when she gets too old, I never really thought that day would come.
As I walked around the waterfront property one last time, I reminisced over all of the memo-ries I had there from when I was a kid: fishing trips, campfires and one cottage injury after another. While I was going down memory lane, I had this reoccurring thought: I wish I had more time. Countless trips spent up there over the years, I just ended up taking for granted.
Have you ever had that feeling in life?
Maybe it was when a loved one passed away…
Or when you had to downsize your house…
Maybe it was when you retired from your job…
Or when you saw your oldest leave for university…
Unfortunately, moments like this often remind us that life is like a mist that appears just for a little time. And in that short time, our days are made up of what feels like endless moments we often take for granted: I wish I had more time. I wish I knew this would be the last time be-cause we would have done it differently.
I’m not sure about you, but for me, I have a hard time being present in the 1440 minutes I have each day. Like you, I am busy, and I have a long to-do list each week to accomplish. I often feel like I just go through each day, checking off boxes and doing what I need to do, or what I’m told to do.
I’m doing life, but am I truly engaged in the moment?
How can we be more present with the time we have, so we never have to look back and say I wish we had more time?
Stop for a Second
You know you’re allowed to stop, right? This is one of the hardest things to do as men be-cause we are all designed to be working on something. We like being busy because we feel our value and self-worth often come from what we can accomplish during the 1440 minutes we have each day. The truth is this way of thinking is found in the Old Testament when you see God’s people in Egypt being forced to make bricks and build structures. Eventually, their value came from how many bricks they could lay each day. How many of us live this way thousands of years later? This is one of the reasons God gave us the Sabbath. It’s to remind us that we can stop because there’s more to life than laying bricks and tackling a to-do list.
Think for a Minute
Rooted in the thought of: I wish I had more time, is convincing ourselves we would have done it differently if we could go back and do it all over. Have you ever actually thought about what you would have done differently with your family, your dreams, or your church life? Think about this for a minute. I’m sure there are many things that come to mind, but the reality is you can never get that time back. The good news is we have today, so think about what you can do now to seize the day so it becomes more than just another one that passes us by.
Live for the Moment
What can you intentionally put into action to help you take full advantage of this moment you have right now? Maybe you always thought about taking your wife on the trip of her dreams, and if that is you, I encourage you to sit with her today and plan it. You might have thought of always creating a unique memory with your children before they get too old. For others, may-be you have a parent who is aging and only has a few years left. Is there something you have always wanted to tell them, but you got too busy talking about something else? Start putting these plans into action so you don’t let any opportunity pass you by.
The Man Up Challenge
Stop taking each moment for granted. Stop, think, and live, so you never need to look back and wish you did life differently.
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