From whichever angle we each look at our lives, and measure our days, we all arrive at the same conclusion: We are agents of time.
This means, first that our days are numbered. You will not live forever.
- We are young.
- Then we are youthful.
- And finally we are old.
And the cycle is complete: from dust to dust. Any Sunday school child knows that. Secondly, it means that we are only part players in the great drama of life.
Recognize these two facts, and you will know better than waste a second, not only of your time, but of others.
The bridges to burn
We live with, and among people, some close, some distant. But as you transit from childhood to old age, be wise and be bold. Know which bridges to burn, and which to cross. Not everyone in your past has a place in your future. And the courage to leave some behind, to sever ties to some people, and some places is the difference between wasting and not wasting time.
It is okay to give up
Time and again you have heard it said, read it written: don’t give up! Well, this much I will tell you. It is okay to give up. It is okay to walk away from some people, from some places, some situations.
Don’t invest in fruitless relationships. Don’t let a man who won’t commit waste your days. Every life is like a story book. You only need to read the back cover to make the decision to buy it!
If your date is looking to read that book from the first to the last page before making the decision to buy it, then you probably need to walk away fast as wind. What need will he have for the story book once he reads and knows all its chapters? You want a man who is interested enough, and has the faith to explore your unknowns.
What about the married? I know of many a woman who refuses to leave her marital home for loves’ sake. The truth is, it is okay to try and save someone who is drowning, but should you if they are going to drag you down with them? To ask the question is to answer it.
I said at the beginning that we are only part players in the great drama of life. “All the world's a stage”, Shakespeare said, “and all the men and women merely players”. There are no truer words!
What this means is that you cannot do ‘everything’, you cannot solve all the world’s problems. There is so much scarcity in the world, you can’t have enough barns to feed all the hungry; so many broken hearts, you can’t have enough glue to mend all; so many afflictions. Simply put, there is so only so much you can do!
Commit to one cause your heart is most drawn to, that which your hands are large enough to embrace, and your back strong enough to carry. Give to it your best, your all. And be content with that.
Many times I have come across really needy people, and I have wished in my heart that I was able to help all of them. If I had enough money, I would do this, I would do that! More often than not, I have found myself too broken, too overwhelmed to do anything!
Recognize you are only an agent of time. And time appoints us to specific purposes, specific people, and specific places. There let shine your light; there let be felt your touch; there let sprout the seed you plant, and who knows, maybe you might just the same, yet feed the world, even years long after you have taken the exit!