I always regret the time that I have misspent. I always regret the valuable tasks I could do that are foregone because I chose other tasks to do. Unfortunately, there was a season in my life when the task that I chose to invest my time in did not have an eternal value, if not a waste of time. There was a season in my life when I played a game that costed me so much of time.
As I look back and reflect, I could have used that time to do valuable tasks such as reading. I checked the number of hours I wasted, which was roughly 3,500 hours. If I could finish one book in 30 hours then I would have lost, approximately 116 books, because of my unwise use of time.
Every time I think of the things that I forgone because of an unwise decision that I made, I cringe in shame because I know that those wasted hours could never be recovered. Nevertheless, as I move forward with my life, I am more adamant about using time wisely the remaining hours that I have in the life God has given me.
What do we do then when we have wasted so much time?
We remind ourselves of the awesome providence of God. God, in His providence, governs everything that are happening in our lives. We are not strong enough to thwart God’s purpose in our lives by means of our mistakes, foolishness, and sins. God directs our lives by even using our mistakes to accomplish His plan. Even though, we are still responsible for all those bad choices, it’s comforting to know that our God is in control over all things. And He could use even our bad choices for His glory and our good.
We should also always go back to our Suffering Savior knowing that our misuse of time was fully paid for on the cross of Christ. Our sinfulness should deepen our love for the One who suffered and died for us. If we do not remind ourselves of what Christ did to pay for our sins and give us the righteousness that God requires then we will just wallow in shame and guilt. Praise be to God that there is now no condemnation in Christ. (Rom. 8:1)
We also remind ourselves that our short little lives are not all we have. Through faith in Christ, eternity is ours. Looking back to the time that I have wasted fills me with regret but looking forward to the promised eternity gives me hope. We have eternity to perfectly and fully commune with God. We won’t have to worry that we could waste any amount of time because sin wouldn’t be there to make us foolish and unwise decisions. All of our time will be perfectly spent for the glory of God who rightfully owns everything even our time. Since, He is the God of eternity and even our tomorrows, we move on with our lives full of hope.
By grace alone 