I know it isn’t quite Monday yet, but I have another busy week ahead and I am trying to get a jump start on my to do list, including writing, posting and linking up to this month’s Perfect Moment Monday blog hop. So here is my “Perfect Moment” for the month of October on this Monday Eve:
Earlier this month our pastor gave a very interesting sermon during Sunday mass. He started off by asking us to think about what we would do if every morning we were given $86,400 and told that we could spend it on anything we wanted, but that we had to do so by the end of the day or we would lose the money and couldn’t get it back.
Can you imagine?!
So many thoughts ran through my head imagining how I might choose to spend all that money each day. The charitable side of me liked the idea of how many people I could help by giving the money to them or organizations that assist those in need. The selfish side of me had fun fantasizing about what things (both practical and frivolous) I could buy for myself and my family with that kind of cash.
Then our pastor asked us to think of the amount of seconds we have in each day (also 86, 400) in the same way. He encouraged us to consider how we can best “spend” our time here on Earth. He told us that every morning we are given another 86,400 to use and that we should be more intentional about the way we spend our time. I really appreciate the message he was giving us about the importance of who and what we give our time, energy and attention to.
Definitely a (perfect) “aha” moment for me!
I had never heard that analogy before and it really works for me, especially during this time in my life when I have been so busy and feel overextended with activities and commitments. As I try to scale back and be more mindful of how I spend my time, it is good for me to be reminded that everyday is truly a new beginning and a chance to spend the 86,400 in ways that make the most sense to, and are best for, me and my family.
As I have shared here in recent weeks, I am helping to plan and prepare for a women’s retreat at our church next month. I am giving a witness about “Discipleship” and my faith journey on the retreat and am pleased to share that I finally finished writing it last week and shared it with the other members of the planning team, during our one of our formation meetings. It was moving and therapeutic for me to do and a wonderful experience to reflect on my life and my faith journey over the past 36 years.
This is the opening to my witness and I think it relates well to this concept of being mindful about how we spend our time:
Emra Bombeck once said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, `I used everything you gave me.'”
I first read that quote on a decorative cross that I found in a gift shop while vacationing with my family a few years ago. We had just survived six of the most difficult months of our life and we were not supposed to be spending time relaxing and enjoying the sunny beaches of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We were supposed back home here in Chicago. I was supposed to be in the home stretch of my pregnancy awaiting the birth of our second child. There were so many things about that time that were supposed to be different, but such is life sometimes. It is what it is and it was not to be.
Erma Bombeck’s quote captures exactly how I feel about being a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a Christian. Her words explain what it means to me to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and encompass how I try to practice my faith each day of my life.
“Strive eagerly for the greatest gifts and I will show you a still more excellent way.” ~ Corinthians 12:31
I encourage you today, and in the days to come, to think about how you spend your 86,400 and remember the you do have a choice and the chance to start fresh every day. Though you may not have the ability to change the circumstances of your life right now, you can choose your attitude, as well as who and what you will give your time, talent and treasure to.
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Lori from Write Mind Open Heart says that “Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.” I love the idea of being mindful of and blogging about perfect moments. In the past I have often used my blog more to write about things I am struggling with and though I know that is valid and important for me at times, I appreciate the idea of being intentional about also sharing the simple and very special moments in our lives. Many thanks to Lori for this idea, a wonderful opportunity to focus on what is right in our life, instead of what is wrong.
Click here to read about and comment on more Perfect Moments (there are links to others’ posts at the bottom of Lori’s blog entry and/or add a link to one of your own.
Thank you for reading. I hope that you have a wonderful week and that you are aware of, as well as able to notice, many perfect moments in your own lives.
Lastly, this week we are doing the Time Warp again here on my blog and I would love for you to join us!
Click here to read more about Time Warp Tuesdays, find out this week’s topic and get your posts ready (if you haven’t done so yet) for this blog hop/writing exercise.
I hope to see you back here tomorrow and I look forward to “doing the Time Warp” with you!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
What an a-ha for me, too! Unlike $$, time isn't bankable. Each second is perishable, which makes each one so precious.
Your pastor's message really fits with Perfect Moment Mondays.
I think, as long as we spend them mindfully, on purpose, we can not go wrong. Thanks so much for the reminder.
I've heard this before but have forgotten it. Thanks for the reminder that when a second is spent you don't get it back! Enjoy the rest of the seconds in your day today!
Thanks for sharing this!
That is a wonderful way to think about each day. And it is something I had not really thought about–how every second in life can be precious. Thanks for sharing!
What an incredibly powerful message! It is a great reminder that I think we all need at times. Thank you so much for sharing this moment. 🙂
Lori – I am glad that it was an a-ha moment for you too! 🙂 You are welcome for the reminder. I know when it comes to spending my time in worthwhile ways, it never hurts for me to be reminded about what is really important.
Suzy – You are welcome! I wondered if it was something others (including any of you) would have heard of? I doubted that our pastor came up with the concept on his own, but it was still great and interesting to hear. I hope you enjoy the rest of the seconds in your day too! 🙂
Delenn – Thank you and you are welcome! 🙂 I had never really thought about it this way either.
Aramelle – You are so very welcome! I agree and need these kinds of reminders regularly, especially with my tendency to over-program my life. 🙂
What an interesting idea. Thinking of how you'd spend that much money really does get you thinking of how you'd spend that time in a different way. I really appreciate that parallel. My first thought was that it was SO MUCH MONEY to spend every day, what else could I do with it but give it away? I mean, I wouldn't need nearly that much to live comfortably and give my family everything they'd need. But when those dollars become seconds suddenly it's not nearly enough. It just shows that time is so much more valuable than money.
Thank you for sharing this!