Time and Dollars

Have you ever been asked the question: “What did you buy that for?” It is a question usually given with an unbelieving attitude or expression. I have made a lot of stupid purchases in my life, from bad cars to unfitting and ugly clothes. I have also made a lot of good purchases in my life that most would consider foolish at the time: I have a couple of coins and collections that cost me a few dollars but are now worth a few thousand. We spend, we buy, we sometimes don’t understand why.

As I take my grandson into a store there are probably 15 times where he will ask, “Can I have this?” or “Will you get this for me?” Sometimes I give in, sometime I know I would get crucified by his mom if I get it so the decision is easy but … always the question: “Can I have this?”

Can you? Can you have whatever you want? If you listen to some permanently smiling preachers you are almost convinced that if you do this in just the right way, or if you act just like this then everything you want will be yours. But can you? Can you have whatever you want?

The truth is, there is finite amount of money around and there is also a finite amount of time you are given. Often those who have the money don’t have the time and those who have the time don’t have the money, but this is not always true. Some have invested in such a way and then pulled back at just the right time to be able to enjoy the fruit of their labor and have both money and time. But most of the time you won’t get both.

The question then becomes what do you invest your time and money in? Maybe school? Maybe spending more time at work so you can grow that way? Take a look at your life and tell me what you invest your time in. In a practical way, just track it for a week. How much time do you spend sleeping, TV, Computer or cell phone, work, eating, or hanging with friends. I think you will be surprised what you actually spend the most of your time doing. When you take this little test you will find out why you do or don’t have money to spend or why your retirement is not lining up like it should.

What are you buying with the hours of your life? I am not saying money is the ultimate goal of your time purchases. I am saying you need to be aware of those seconds, minutes, hours, days and even years that slip away from you while you sleep or play video games. Think of how much more you would have purchased if you spent that same amount of time in your family, your education (whatever that may be) or even in prayer and Bible Study.

What are YOU buying with the hours of your life?

Nothing is Permissible and Everything is Permissible

There once was a land where nothing was permitted and everything was punished. It didn’t just SEEM like everything was punished or taxed, everything WAS punished or taxed. You walked outside with the realization that the EPA was taxing every breath you take and the Road Commission charged you for each step along the sidewalk you walked. At work you paid your SS tax, FICA, and a plethora of others taking home a fraction where you stop at the grocery store to buy food where sales tax takes another large portion. Then the Fairness Police take a look at your grocery bag and determine that you bought MORE than enough for your family and you need to give up that portion and put it into a basket for those who don’t have as much. You finally make it home to check your taxed internet connection or watch your advertisement saturated TV. In the end all is fair and we are all equal and mediocre.

There once was a land in which everything was permitted and nothing was punished. It didn’t just SEEM like everything was permitted, not only permitted but encouraged. You walked outside and on were accosted by a few people who demanded your money. You had none on you so they punched you down a bit, knocking the breath out of you and finally you could make it down the potholed sidewalk and street. You went to work only to realize it was closed again today because not enough people showed up to run the machines. On the way home you stopped by the food line and got your stale bread and cheese only to have it taken from you 5 times before you made it all the way home. Your generator didn’t have gas again because either it was stolen or someone syphoned the gas station again. So you had nothing to do but stare at your family and the 3 other people squatting in your house. In the end it was fair we are all equal and mediocre.

Everything is permissible is the same as nothing is permissible! Read that sentence again. They both lead down the same path to equality, fairness, and mediocrity.

If we eliminate all marriages it would have the same result as making all marriages legal: equality, fairness, and mediocrity in our relationships.

If we had no government it would be the same as having an oppressive, overbearing government: equality, fairness, and mediocrity in the form of anarchy and apathy.

If we outlawed all religion it would have the same effect of permitting all religions: equality, fairness, and mediocrity in our faith and beliefs.

If I seem to be bringing you kind of a downer message that is not my intent. My intent here is to let you know that the extremes are bad, no matter which end you go to … both will take you to the same place. We have laws so that we can have relationships, without laws; there would be no ability to form relationships. With too many laws there would be no ability to form relationships. There is a balance, it is a tough one to walk, but we must do it. There will be many casualties that will seem to be UN-equal and UN-fair, but they will happen to maintain this balance and if we try to eliminate them, we have again thrown out the baby with the bathwater.

A ruler and a plumb line are there, not to punish the unruly and un-straight, but they are there to make sure we stay true and loved and in a relationship: faithful. Don’t fear rules, fear anarchy; don’t fear rules, fear tyranny. Rules rule.

Happen to Life

Okay, so I am getting old. Old knee injuries and chronic back pain has hobbled my running years into a walk. But when I walk I need a motivation of some kind and even a distraction of some kind otherwise it seems like a boring waste of time. So I do two things when I walk: first, I fitbit and second, I read.

A fitbit is just a little pedometer device that syncs with your computer when you get close to it and it tracks your activity for the day. Not just how many steps but how many stairs, how many minutes of VERY ACTIVE time, and even calories burned. It will also track your sleeping if you want to wear it while sleeping. I have been trying it just to see how active I am at night tossing and turning and “supposedly” how long it takes me to fall asleep, but its accuracy is a little off on that. I do this because I have a competitive nature and I need to know how many to compete with yesterday, and last week. If I have the numbers in mind I am motivated to do just a little better or a little more the next time. I NEED competition, even if it only with myself.

I get a lot of strange looks and laughs when I walk because my glasses are up on my forehead while I walk so I can read. I have a lot of books to read for my doctoral classes but I am a reader anyway. My job demands I keep up with reading and demands that I keep learning. But reading and walking is not normally put together. Sometimes I miss the people walking by until I hear the laugh or the comment of some kind. Most are jogging or walking with such pain and discomfort on their faces and they smile as they see me, glasses on my forehead, highlighter pen in hand, reading and marking my book.

The proverbial “killing two birds with one stone.” But I’m active. I have a tour to Egypt coming up soon and in that tour we generally walk 15,000 steps a day. When I am in front of my computer and not tracking myself I may do 2000 in a day. So I walk and read and hook my fitbit on my belt.

I think that is an illustration or metaphor for life too. We have to do things ON PURPOSE with intent or a goal. Instead, we often just let life happen to us. We just go about our routines and work-a-day life without any progress or movement. It just happens. When it should be the other way around, instead of letting life happen we should happen to life!

I don’t know what your motivation is but it is time to quit letting life happen to you and go out and happen to life!