My Nickel’s Worth

During this season of our lives, Whitnie and I have received so many generous gifts: graduation gifts, wedding gifts, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and gifts for no reason at all. I am thankful for the gift of salvation, the gift of life (I survived Covid, as did many of my friends and family this year), and I am thankful for my wife. But one gift which I never really thought about—at least not until after Covid hit—was the gift of TIME. Have you ever thought of this?

When someone is terminally ill, they ask: How much time do I have?

Last weekend I watched the Netflix movie, “Soul.” While the movie is fiction and does not adhere to my faith or belief system, the movie’s message was a good one: Enjoy the journey. Enjoy your time. I have thought so much about that this past year because of losing people, being quarantined, and just realizing that the things on which I spent all of my time, were actually robbing me of quality time. How much time did I spend watching baseball? Going to movies? Eating out? Or other things? When the world shut down, I realized that this gave me the TIME I needed to focus on what was the most important to me—loved ones and sharing my faith.

Although the gift of time is precious, what we do with our time determines its value. I am trying to live on purpose now, not wasting my time being upset about trivial issues, and I am striving to enjoy every day. Whether you are working full time, staying home with young children, a fulltime student, or even retired - spend each day as if you are spending something priceless - because you are. Invest in others. Share your faith. Learn new things. Explore the world (even if you are just using your computer). Love others. Forgive easily. Be thankful. And make a difference in your little corner of the world. Use your TIME wisely—after all, it is one of our greatest gifts.