Some people are born into privileged families – others aren’t. Some live in countries where there is stability – some don’t. But there is one fact that nobody can deny; every single person in the world gets the same number of hours in each day! And the way we choose to use each day is up to us.
What you choose to do with your life doesn’t need to depend on how much money you have or which country you live in. It doesn’t depend on whether you have a physical disability or whether you are in prison. Agreed: these things might make life more complicated but not impossible.
I have a friend who has been living with MS for more than 15 years now. While most of us in that situation would have felt sorry for ourselves, he chooses to continue to live a life of purpose. He sees his illness as a blessing in disguise because it forces him to spend time with God and that is more important to him than anything else. He has a special device that helps him to use his computer to encourage people around the world. Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs. He wanted to end his life at the age of 10 because he never saw the point of living like that. Yet, he chose to use his 24 hours he has every day, to travel the world and inspire those around him. I have a friend in Uganda who has to live through instability and poverty in his country. His children often end up with malaria and he has barely enough for his own family. How easy wouldn’t it be for him to be angry and to choose a life of crime. Yet, he chooses to use his 24 hours every day to educate children for free at a school that he started a few years ago. He chooses to spend his 24 hours a day to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have lost hope in humanity.
Paul was locked up in prison on numerous occasions, yet he chose to make the most of it. Instead of feeling sorry for himself for being wrongly convicted. He shared God’s love with the prison guards. Their lives were turned around because one man decided to use his 24 hours wisely.
The crazy thing is that most of us who live privileged lives and “have it all” tend to be the ones who do the least. Comfort is a dangerous thing. The more we seem to have, the more we seem to chase after it.
I am sitting on the train, on my way to teach in Melbourne, writing this blog and sipping on my coffee. It’s early in the morning, it’s still dark outside and there is something that I will be doing next year that is far more in line with what I want to do. But until then, I have a choice… I can get through each day, doing the minimum, just so that I can make it to the end of that year. But I choose to make the most of my 24 hours. I have 23 young teenagers whose lives I can impact. That is a huge responsibility and I choose to accept that challenge today.
You might be in any of these positions that I mentioned in this blog and feel that life is unfair. Or you might have it all in life. The question is whether you will choose to feel sorry for yourself today and waste your 24 hours, or will you choose to rise above your circumstances and work towards changing them and changing the attitude of others. Do you choose to lap up the comfort that you have at the moment and only live today for yourself, or will you use your privileged position to bless someone else?
You have 24 hours at your disposal each day. How you choose to use them is entirely up to you.
Have an awesome day.
Mark Davidson
