What have you done with your life?
That’s kind of like an inventory question, asking us to take a look back at all the stages of our lives and consider what all we’ve done, what have we accomplished, what have we built, what have we contributed? What then is the sum total of how we’ve lived?
This is sort of a daunting question for each of us to take in. Between sleeping and working, so much of our lives are already accounted for. If we allot 8 hours to sleeping each day, and 8 hours to working to earn money, that only leaves us 8 hours of each day for everything else. Of those 8 hours, you could assume to take out at least 2-3 hours for preparing and eating meals. Now we’re down to 5 hours. What can we do with 5 hours?
Five hours a day equals 35 hours in a week, 151.6 hours in a month, 1820 hours in a year.
Part of those hours will be spent in relationship activities with children, spouses, family, and friends. Part of those hours will be spent in some spiritual activity such as attending worship, prayer, meditation. Some of those hours will be accounted for in recreational pursuits.
Still, we have time in our lives for other activities which contribute to our community and world.
Its hard, I think, to really assess what we’ve done with our lives when we look at it from a statistical and calculable standpoint. We can make charts and draw up a wonderful presentation which can account for where our time goes. Some will have a larger slice attributed to activities meant to enrich one’s self; reading, study, physical activities to keep our physical bodies in shape.
When it comes to looking at the totality of our lives though, I’m not sure breaking down the minutes, hours, days, months, weeks and years is the best way to make that assessment.
Might we look at the essence of who we are in the world around us. What we’ve done with our lives might best be revealed in every action, every moment, every interaction with others. In this way, it becomes a more cohesive representation of who we are and what we leave behind. For some, we see examples of kindness. Every moment we come away feeling the kindness of a person. For some, we see extravagance of heart. There are those who we know are going to consistently show forth love for others. For some, we see a true generosity. They give for others, many times shunning the spotlight. Only wanting to help without recognition.
In Micah 6:8, the prophet reminds us…”He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” In Matthew 22:37-39 we hear Jesus telling us “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
In order for our lives to be lived in a manner which pleases God, it doesn’t mean neglecting friends, family, recreation, self-enhancement. It means the totality of what we do and say is a reflection of whose we are. There can be all kinds of laws enacted to try and force people to do right, but that never works in the long run. It has to come from the heart. Each of us have to want to live a life that reflects the God inside of us. After all, when its all said and done, nothing that we build, erect, amass, will matter, only what we’ve left of ourselves in others.
I pray we will live our lives in such a way there is no doubt left behind about how we lived. We lived to reflect God in our world.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom