4,108 weeks.
That’s the average life expectancy of an adult living in the United States. It doesn’t sound very long, does it? It certainly sounds less than its 79-year equivalent. But, if you’re average, and I’m not saying you are—most of my friends are far above average—you can expect to walk this planet for a little over 4,000 weeks.
Seeing life in terms of weeks rather than years has made me think about how I can use my time more effectively and efficiently. I’m not a big TV binger or social media scroller, so I don’t feel like I waste my time that way, but what I have realized is I spend a huge percentage of my time thinking about the past or planning the future instead of living in the present. And before I know it, now is gone.
If you’re like me and you worry about the forthcoming “what ifs” in life (most of which never happen) or brood over the former “if onlys” (which you can’t do anything about anyway), I invite you to join me in a little experiment. As much as possible, stay present—just for today. If you find your thoughts wandering or worrying, stop and come back to where you are, at the crossroads of here and now.
Scripture seems to support the idea of staying in the present. You’ll find several examples in the Bible, but my favorite is in Exodus 3:14 when God introduces Himself to Moses. Moses sees the burning bush and asks God His name. God replies, “I AM.” Not I was or I will be (although He’s that too), but “I AM.”
God is always in the here and now, and we should be, too.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should never plan for the future or learn from the mistakes of the past. We just need to spend the majority of our time where it matters most, when we can actually do something with it. We can’t change the past or foreseethe future, but we can live right now. So, that’s what I want to encourage you to do this week. Stay present with people you love.
Now (yes, right now), it’s your turn. Since this a dia-blog and not just a one-way blog, I invite you to respond to one of these questions so we can “hang out naked.” Nothing to hide. No judgment. Go on, answer a question, and put the social BACK in social media.
Let’s dia-blog:
If you had two days left on earth, how would you spend them? What is one thing you want to do before you die? What’s your biggest time-waster? How do you stop yourself from worrying?