October 4, 2017

Mountain climbers give extensive time to training, followed by the energy and resources needed for the journey. The risk involved is overcome by their desire to reach the summit. Upon finally arriving, their statement is simple: “It was worth all that it took.”

This example can apply to many of our life goals and the way we pursue their accomplishment. We try to balance our desires with the reality of what it will take to achieve them. In simple terms, we make a decision as to how much of our life we want to give to something. It is more than just the energy or cost involved, because it is a part of our life, and time is life.

If we knew how much life we have been allotted, it would make a difference in the way we use it. Limitless money available to us would affect the way we use it. Living on a budget affects our spending, because what we designate in one area limits what is available for another. Most of us would use less spending discipline if we knew there was no limit to the funds available.

It is easy to live our days as though they have no limit. Young people face this more than older ones, because the young have the feeling that the end of life is far away. Older people know that their days are running out. The sense that our final day on Planet Earth might be near causes us to make choices accordingly. We have learned that time is actually life – something far more important than money.

“Is it worthy of a portion of my life?” is an appropriate question to use at any stage of our experience. What we put into the mountain climb will not be available for something else. Since none of us knows how much time we have left – at any age – we are wise to make the most of the part of life that we know we have – today. I want to conclude this day knowing that my activities were worthy of life.

Pastor Bill Ehmann