Time to Make Amends
BY CHRISTA CORRIGAN
A few days ago, I was attending one of Chicago’s well-known summer street fests. It was the perfect June night and the festival was brimming with people conversing and laughing and bonding over having survived another winter. Then the call came. Sitting on a street curb, hand covering one ear to block out the noise of the crowd, my friend’s voice came across the line from 400 miles away to tell me that a mutual friend of ours had passed away suddenly in a motorcycle accident.
After the initial shock passed and grief set in, I was reminded of Psalm 39:4 which says, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” I found myself unexpectedly confronted by my own mortality, And I was spurred to take a good hard look at how I spend my time.
Someone once told me, “How you spend your time is how you spend your life.” How we spend our time is a reflection of our hearts in Christ. Every moment is an opportunity to worship Him and to love others. I want to encourage you that you might be more intentional with your time. Commit to being fully present in everything you do. Turn Netflix off and call a friend; stroll the River Walk together and dig deeper into one another’s lives. Take the photo, then put your phone away. Stop to pet as many dogs as you can. Call your parents just because.
Time, however, is fickle and so easy to take for granted. We tend to think we’ll always have enough of it. I myself am guilty of procrastinating responsibilities for fun. I’ve put off rebuilding burned bridges and mending broken relationships. But if Katy Perry can snail mail an actual olive branch to Taylor Swift, surely I am capable of taking the time to write an overdue note of apology or to call the person I haven’t spoken to in a while to see how they’re doing.
I would encourage you to not allow pride or arrogance to steer how you spend your time, for tomorrow may not come and the sting of regret lingers. It’s never too late to make things right. You are accountable for how you spend your time each day – not just to your boss, or to your spouse, or even to your church, but to God.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 does well to remind me that there is a time for everything. Focus and work hard when you’re on the clock. Love your family with intention when you get home from the office. Take the time to dance when your favorite song comes on the radio. Climb into the trenches with those you love when tragedy strikes for them. Turn your phone off and open your Bible. The way you spend your time is more telling of your character and your obedience to God than the words that come out of your mouth or what you spend your money on. Time is priceless…spend it wisely.