Time Well Spent

Overall the holiday season was absolutely awesome this year! I have to say that I am really thankful for all the blessings that abound within our family. The only exception is that my wife was sick the entire holiday season. She has been struggling with respiratory problems on and off ever since she had lung surgery back in 2003, but before Christmas week even began, she started having serious breathing issues. Two weeks ago, she got so bad and was struggling so hard to breathe, that she had to call 911 for help.

Wouldn’t you know it, I happened to be at a golf lesson that morning when she collapsed. I felt horrible that I wasn’t with her when this frightening episode happened. Fortunately, the paramedics were able to stabilize her and then I drove her to the doctor’s office where they gave her a new round of medications to try out. It took several more doctor visits and medication trials before she started to improve, but as of yesterday her breathing is almost back to normal.

I felt really bad that I wasn’t with my wife at the time when she needed me most. But I am also super thankful that we have the 911 system in place. I hate to think about what could have happened if we didn’t have paramedics available, and for that matter firefighters, police and military personnel and all the other first responders who have high stress dangerous jobs that force them to sacrifice their own health for the benefit of other human beings. We are lucky to have people on this earth who are totally focused on serving others.

And that got me thinking… I realize it’s not my job to “serve others” from a career standpoint. (Although I do kind of “light up lives” with my lighting business!) But from a biblical standpoint, I truly believe that my primary job here on earth is to serve others using whatever special gifts God gave me. So…What can I do to fulfill that obligation? And… What are those special gifts? I haven’t figured out the answer to either one of those questions yet, but I do know that whatever the answers are, “time” is a major component. Therefore, for the rest of 2018, I plan to set aside time every week to look for ways to serve others. It might be something small that only takes a few minutes of my time, or it might be something that takes me weeks to accomplish. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it will be time well spent!

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as 

if they were going to be dead by midnight. 

Extend to them all the care, kindness and service you can muster. 

Do it with no thought of any reward and your life will never the same again! 

~ Og Mandino