On my walk this morning, I was thinking about Dottie Vlach. We had her memorial service on Saturday at the church. Dottie was a wonderful person, full of life and always up for an adventure. She was also a dedicated mom, wife, and teacher. Additionally, Dottie was also a humanitarian, giving time and resources to those causes which helped to meet the needs of many.
As I was walking, I was thinking of all Dottie accomplished in her life. It started me thinking about all of us who are still on this side of eternity. We go through our lives with many routines, many things we do just by rote. I don’t believe we stop and consider what we are doing as it pertains to what we will leave behind as a testimony to our having lived. We get caught up in the here and now. There’s so much that goes on in our lives, we just don’t seem to have the time to even stop and take a breath. We bounce from one thing to the other, trying to keep it all together.
As our lives have gotten busier and packed with more and more activities, do we ever stop to wonder what we are actually achieving? Do we consider what we are contributing? Where do we invest our time and attention? Of course we have our day to day jobs, our families, our friends, they are a part of our time. We have our homes to care for and maintain. We have some social obligations that we invest in from time to time. One of the areas we see consuming our waking hours is on social media. The average person spends about 2 hours and 20 minutes a day on social media. Some more, some less. Some in South America and Africa spend closer to 3 hours a day, while those in Europe spend closer to 1 hour.
Technology is great, it promises us more efficiency, more time saved doing certain tasks, and yet technology also can consume us. My guess is, Dottie didn’t have a lot of time to devote to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X. I’m not bashing these platforms. I’m simply saying the more time generated through the use of technology, the more time we may find ourselves inordinately consumed by it.
If we go back in time, we don’t have to wonder how Dottie spent her time. We know she was a great companion to her husband, helping to support him in his career. We know she raised two children to adulthood, and continued to look after and support her grandchildren. We know she gave countless hours in service to students who needed her kind touch and helping hand. We know she was involved in her church. We know she gave time and attention to those who were in need through her service to Dallas Shared Ministries.
How we chose to spend our precious time while we are living, is a testimony to what we hold dear, what we cherish, what we believe in.
As I look back on the days of my youth, I am astounded by the amount of time I wasted on nonsense stuff. If I had those lost hours and days back, what I would do with them now would not be a waste. As I’ve grown older, time has become more precious. When you know you have more days behind you than ahead of you, it gives you certain perspective.
I’m trying to be a little more cognizant of the time I’m spending on screen time with things that have little to no value. I’m asking myself what I could do with an extra 2 hours and 20 minutes a day. I could volunteer to help someone in need. I could teach someone to read. I could help out at an animal shelter. I could stock the shelves of a food pantry. There are lots and lots of things I could do to put that time to use.
When I leave this place, I would like to think what I leave behind will be a testimony to my having lived. I would like to think someone’s life was better because I passed their way. Not because I want to be remembered for any good works or deeds. The accolades for doing for others is not what would be important to me. Just the knowledge that my life was in part, given to make another’s life better.
My prayer is for each of us to put ourselves forward, to make ourselves available to be used by God to make this world a better place. Make it a place of harmony, peace and love.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom