Wake up!

So the other day, my some of my close med school friends and I were debating about what we would do if we knew we only had a year to live. Pretty depressing topic, I know, but each of us had come across the topic in some shape during our past 4 months in the hospital. Some of us wanted to travel to all of the places we'd never been. Others wanted to try doing all sorts of crazy things we wouldn't dare try normally. Most of us agreed we'd want to spend a large chunk of the year at home with our families. All of this got me thinking - If as Christians, we're not supposed to think of time as our own, why was I so surprised by this discussion? Why would I change the way I live so dramatically if this new outlook is not so entirely different than the view I supposedly hold? How do I reconcile the idea that much of my time is spent equipping myself for future activities on earth (even activities that would serve the Lord) and the idea that I should be holding my time/future with an open hand?


So summary: lots of thoughts. As I was reading to see if I could find a good nugget of wisdom on this somewhere in the bible, I came across Ephesians 5: 

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, sleeper, 

rise from the dead, 

and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.                         ~Ephesians 5: 8-20

There are so many things I love about this verse, but my absolute favorite is that it gets to the heart of the primary purpose of our time: Living as children of light and pleasing the Lord. For me, it's so easy to get caught up in big plans for future. This is such a great reminder of two important principles that I can use as a barometer for how to best spend my time. Other things that caught my eye:

-"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness:" One of the ways it seems that God can use us to become children of the light is for us to abstain from actions we know are displeasing to the Lord. I'm not a big fan of lists and lists of rules, and I know that the second paragraph of this section that talks about drinking may seem that way to some. The thing I love about this verse is that it gives the best reason for why the Lord calls us to these actions: "Everything that is illuminated becomes a light." I just love that image. By being obedient in staying away from sin, the Lord can better use us to shine His mercy on others. This is not to say that the Lord only uses perfect people, but rather, this is one way that the Lord can use others. Not only that, but instead of fruitless deeds of darkness, we get the Hold Spirit, which is  a trade I'd take any day!
-"Wake up, sleeper:" Real talk: I need this reminder often. It's so easy for me to forget that my time is scarce and valuable. I love that here it states that all of our time is valuable, and that we need to make the most of every opportunity. 
-Work on gaining wisdom: Ok, my paraphrase, but I like that this verse puts an emphasis on learning what is wise vs. unwise, and turning away from foolishness to seek wisdom in the Lord's will. I think this is a great example of something that we can work on while the Lord works in us.
-"Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 'Nough said.

So I don't have the perfect answer for this dilemma, but I think Ephesians 5 has a lot to offer as we think about stewarding our time. My challenge for us today is that we examine our daily actions and use the ideas of being children of the light and pleasing God as the measure for our actions!