Time
noun

1. The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
2. A point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon. “The time is 9:30.”

I start this post with a poem my father wrote about time:

“Time”

It is a crushing weight,
Gets heavier every day,
Like sand in an hourglass,
Piling up; getting in your way.
At first, you don’t notice,
How it’s slipping up on you,
You think you got plenty of it,
That it will see you through.
But one day things begin to change,
You count the candles on your cake,
And you don’t like the feeling that it brings,
So you consider changes that you must make.
Life is not a sprint, that’s what you were told,
Just like a bill of goods that you were sold.
Now that perspective will no longer play,
And “Carpe Diem” becomes the mantra for each day.
You can’t stop and smell the roses,
And you can’t procrastinate,
Because time is of the essence,
And you know what happens to he who hesitates.

The truth is, we all don’t know how much time we have. Yesterday was a monumental day—my son Parker turned 14. As my wife and I looked back through his photos from the past few years, we marveled at how much he has changed. He is becoming a young adult, and a fine one at that.

Reading my dad’s poem out loud might seem a bit depressing, but it’s all about perspective. If you’re not seizing the day and being intentional with how you spend your time, you might just be sleepwalking through life.

To be honest, we all fall asleep and waste time—scrolling through social media, watching TV, following news and political updates—when we could be focusing on things that truly matter. We could be making ourselves better, propelling our dreams, helping others achieve their dreams, spending meaningful time with one another, and counting our blessings.

At the start of this year, I knew I needed to make a change. I began by getting up earlier to spend meaningful mornings with my son. We started with reading “The Richest Man in Babylon,” then “The Go-Giver,” the Gospels, and watching sermons by Pastor Mark Driscoll on YouTube. To get our blood moving, we began doing pushups, and we topped it off with prayer. Even though it’s only been 20-30 minutes each morning, the compound effect has been significant. We’ve seen growth in our spiritual lives, physical strength, and gained some amazing wisdom. A few small changes can make a major difference.

I’ll leave you with this call to action—another writing of my father’s:

“Destiny to Reality”

Quit living in the dark,
You gotta find that little spark,
Step out, make your mark,
Ain’t nothing but a walk in the park.

Just take a step at a time,
And watch out for God’s little signs,
Then your life will turn on a dime,
Always knowing things’ll turn out fine.

Just set out to help others,
Your sisters and your brothers,
And all those single mothers,
Always showing how to love one another.

Don’t look at all that’s wrong,
Just keep on keeping on,
Gotta find a brand new song,
Then you’ll find it won’t take too long.

(Chorus)
You’ll go from destiny to reality,
Then you’ll be truly free,
You’ll be who God wants you to be,
From right now to eternity.

Then you’ll be flying high,
Looking down, saying my, oh my,
And there won’t be no more tears to cry,
And no more asking why.

It’s all part of the Master’s plan,
So just step up, be a man,
The devil fails when you say I can,
Then God becomes your biggest fan.

(Bridge)
You’re only here for a little while,
Roadblocks are just a trial,
Just keep on for another mile,
Remember Jesus and just smile.

He gave His life for you and me,
Gave us hope, set us free,
He determined our destiny,
We’ll be with Him for eternity.

(Chorus)
Just go from destiny to reality,
That’s when you’ll be truly free,
You’ll be who God wants you to be,
From right now to eternity.

Then you’ll be flying high,
Looking down, saying my, oh my,
And there won’t be no more tears to cry,
And there won’t be no more asking why.