Finishing strong

In 1965, the rock band “The Byrds” had a hit song called “Turn! Turn! Turn!” in which they sang the words King Solomon wrote 3,000 years earlier. The lyrics were taken directly from the Bible (as recorded in Ecclesiastes 3), and they say this about “time”:

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

With each passing birthday, I realize that I don’t have that much time left on this earth, and that I should make sure I don’t waste any of it. How well are you using the precious time you have? Following are some thoughts on how to get the most out of the time you have left.

Realize how little time is left

As the first Queen Elizabeth lay dying, she was heard to utter, “All my possessions for one more moment of time.” Time is precious, and none of us know how much time we have left; so we should strive to avoid wasting what we do have. If a task is important, get started and don’t put it off any longer. We have no guarantee that we will have a next year. Get started now.

Invest your time where it will have the greatest impact

I’ve spoken at literally hundreds of funerals and the part I always find fascinating is when there is an open microphone for people to share what the deceased meant to them. At funerals you hear about a person’s relationships and not accomplishments. People share how the deceased took the time to get involved in their life, and how in many cases helped them in ways that others were never aware of.

Don’t waste time on the unimportant

Some activities are relaxing, and relaxation is important, but if it is excessive, it can be a waste of valuable time. You may want to do an audit of your weekly schedule to discover where you are wasting time on meaningless activities, precious time you will never be able to recover.

Make a commitment to finish strong

In the Old Testament, we read about how after wandering for 45 years in the wilderness, the children of Israel were preparing to enter the promised land. A man named Caleb stepped forward and said: “The Lord has kept me alive for 45 years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, 85 years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.”

Now that’s what I call finishing strong!