“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NRSV)
What would our days look like if we lived them as “wise” people? Ephesians suggests that to live wisely means making the most of the time we have alive. Regardless, of what this means in our individual lives, one thing remains true – no matter how we spend our time, we all only have 168 hours in a week. Of those 168 hours, the average adult in the U.S. is asleep for about 50 of them. This means we each only have about 120 hours in which to work, email, eat, clean, drive, and the list goes on. Before we know it, we’ve forgotten to play, explore, and love. Our 120 waking hours disappear rather quickly – and not always because we’ve been living our purpose. In the Army, we constantly talk of purpose. Every published order contains a Commander’s Intent comprised of: purpose, key tasks, and end state. We are encouraged to “walk with a purpose,” even if only walking to refill our coffee mug for the third time. Many of us joined the Army because we wanted to serve a higher purpose. This concept of purpose, therefore, pervades our culture. Even though we’re constantly affronted by the verbiage of purpose, how often do we pause to consider (1) what our purpose actually is and (2) if we’re truly living it? The second part of this excerpt from Ephesians states that “the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). In the context in which Saint Paul wrote, “evil” referred to sexual immorality, greed, and idolatry (Eph. 5:3-5). The Church in Ephesus was not living for their purpose – to honor and worship God (Eph. 5:4). While we may not have the same evils in our lives as the Ephesians did, our world is full of hate. However, it could be full of love. And love? Love is a powerful thing. If we tailor our purpose to filling our world with love, goodness, righteousness, and truth; then we create a dazzling light in that moment. If we live wisely, making the most of our time by living for our purpose, then that single light becomes multiple lights that eventually illuminate our world (Ephesians 5:13). What, then, is your purpose? Whatever it is, consider how you will live in to it during your 168 hours this week. After, go and illuminate our world. |