22,341 days.
Just for fun I used an online calculator to figure out how many days I’ve been on this planet. As I write these lines it is 22,341 days. Sometimes I do wonder how many of those days I have wasted (too many, I’m sure) and how many of those days I have used well and lived wisely.
William Borden was a young man who came from an affluent family who decided to invest his days and do things that really mattered.
When he graduated from high school his parents gave him an around-the-world trip where he encountered desperately poor people and was so moved by what he saw he decided to devote his life to missionary work. His parents and friends did not quite understand his passion to sacrifice for others, and he was offered many lucrative jobs and other opportunities, but he turned them all down to live a life of sacrifice for others.
He threw himself into his missionary work and became quite well known, very quickly, for how effective he was in helping the poor and needy. Sadly, while traveling for his mission work in Egypt, he contracted meningitis and died at the age of 25.
Among his few possessions there was his Bible, in which he had written a few lines in the back that described his approach to life: “No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regret.”
In the course of his short life he made a major impact on others and fulfilled his God-given purpose because he chose to live his life with “No Reserve, No Retreat and No Regret.”
The Bible says this about how we use our days:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NIV).
I think this means to be aware and alert about how we invest our one and only life and track how we use our days because we do not know how many days we have left to invest.
I would encourage you to think again and perhaps for the first time how you use this precious fragment of time and space called today.
Consider this…
Instead of watching hours of puppy videos on youtube, go play with your dog or go for a walk and play with, or just appreciate, someone else’s dog (cat lovers can do the same).
When you’re tempted to feel sorry for yourself about some adverse conditions in your life, choose to think and act for the benefit of someone else by writing a note or post to a friend or family member encouraging them “just because” you like them. (You’ll make their day.)
When you are bemoaning how much money you don’t have, go ahead and make a donation of your money or volunteer time to your church or a charity you know is doing some good in the world. It may be counterintuitive, but try this and it will make your day.
I believe there are defining moments when we decide how we spend our days fulfilling God’s purpose for your life or not. I think we are called upon to not waste days but to keep track of our days and live our days with wisdom.
Perhaps even with “No Retreat, No Reserve, No Regret.”
The Rev. Dr. Brad Miller is the lead pastor of Philadelphia United Methodist Church and has spent his 40-year ministry career helping people overcome adversity and achieve peace and purpose in their life. Visit Dr. Brad’s podcast and blog “Pathway to Promise” at www.pathwaypromise.com.
