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We hear it all the time: 

  • "Time flies when you're having fun."
  • "Life is short."
  • "Time keeps ticking away."
  • "They (kids) grow up so fast."

time

It seemed like time went by slowly when I was in school, but since I've graduated college, time has gone so quickly. Now that I'm a father of 3, a week can sometimes feel like a day. Periodically, I'll ask myself, "Where has the time gone?"

With time comes a lot of successes and a lot of failures. One of my favorites quotes is from John Maxwell (Today Matters). He says, "Yesterday ended last night."  When it comes to our past, we either build ourselves up or we beat ourselves up. We can look back at all our achievements and think we're better than we actually are. When we reflect too much on the glory days, we have trouble moving forward in life. We can also look back at our mistakes and beat ourselves up. When we hold onto our failures, we let go of future accomplishments.

Today is a new day. The beautiful message of Christianity is that no accomplishment we make can be bigger than God and no failure we make is unforgiven. Because of this truth, we should all take a deep breath and not be stressed out. Nothing comes to a surprise to God. God's got this!

As we all journey through life, remember a few things...

1. Life Comes in Seasons

Seasons of Life

In Chapter 3 of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the author begins by saying, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1)." He goes onto to list many things we experience throughout life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). 

One of the best advice I've ever heard came from a friend, Jonathan Noel, who reminded me that life comes in seasons. I was going through a difficult time in my life, and he encouraged me to remember that this was a season I was going through, but it was just a season. We don't know how long seasons will go, but we do know according to the Bible, that there will be times to weep and times to laugh.

2. Make the Most of Every Opportunity for God & Others

We don't know what will happen tomorrow. We are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:13-17). Because life is short, we should make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-17) and live life for God's glory (Colossians 3:17).

As we wake up each day, we ask God, "How can I serve you and others today?" We can serve God as we work by bringing Him glory using our God-given gifts. We can serve others by addressing the needs that come up.

3. Pause

pause

You know the saying, "Stop and smell the roses." We need to take time to pause during the week. Take a look at God's beauty around you. Take some time to thank God for your family & friends. Take a moment and reflect on how God has provided for you. 

One of my struggles is planning ahead and anticipating the future. If I'm so busy looking forward, I will eventually start looking back and regret always looking to what was next. I don't want to reach 75 and realize I spent most of my time planning and looking ahead. We've all heard it said that "we might not get tomorrow." Because this statement is true, we need to embrace today and take life one day at a time.

 

 

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