Not Duration, But Donation

As one year comes to an end and another one begins, it is a great time to evaluate how we are doing and where we are going. We want to make sure that we are living our lives the way they ought to be lived because for some of us, this may be the last year.

Reflecting on the passing of human life, ethicist Michael Josephson wrote, "Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days. . . . So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? . . . Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice."

The Bible says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2). It also reminds us that our times are in God’s hands (see Psalm 31:15). Regarding the length of our lives, Job said to God, "His days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5).

God determines how long we will live—not us. We may be able to improve the quality of our lives through diet and exercise. But the quantity of our lives—that is up to God. So we want to make sure that we are living our lives well.

As Corrie ten Boom said, "The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation."

You determine the evening of your life by the morning of it. So start thinking about it. Start charting the course the rest of your life will take.