Time is precious and we want to use it wisely. Psalms 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Many times we read such passages and it sounds good, but we resort to what we have always done in life and not perceive time as we ought to.
Here’s a test: Recount the most memorable moments in your life. Mostly, when you test your good memories, you will remember your childhood, a family vacation you took, falling in love, a life deciding moment or something that is unique and doesn't happen in your everyday life. In other words, moments that are new and different. The reason our minds remember these new and different moments is because our minds are like video recorders that capture the highlight events. We document memories to our mind by giving priority to new and life changing memories and throw out or condense the memories that are redundant. So how does this affect our perception of time? Basically, if you are not recording anything new in your life, you are editing down the overall time of life. This is why our childhood events seem to last forever and are easy to remember, because when we were children, everything was different and we were constantly experiencing new things. However, as we grow older and repeat events, our documentation to the mind is edited down, because many times, it is similar to something that has already happened. So how do we slow down time and make it feel like it was when we were young? You need to do something new! God finds it equally important to start fresh, and the theme of the New Testament is the new life in Him (born-again, new creatures, newness of life, old things have passed away, abundant life, etc…). Years will go by in a flash if you do not create new and different memories in your life. You will end up spinning your wheels doing the same repetitive tasks and then ultimately wake-up one day old and full of regret. You won’t be happy because the movie you have been recording to your brain is short and uneventful. Is this the abundant life God calls us to? Surely not. Some never recognize why they feel so dismayed in life end up having a mid-life crisis or making some radical change that even acts against their faith in God. These are the wrong ways to make adjustments and will only lead to more despair. So how do we avoid this? You need to act out, in faith, what your spirit is prompting you to do now. If God is calling you to be a missionary, make changes in your life to facilitate it now! If God is calling you to start a business, do it now! If you have a passion in your heart that you know you were created for, you need to do it now! Capture the moment and hit the record button of new memories, or you might just miss it!
Making these new changes is what is called a step of faith. Yet some people will stall and say, “I am waiting on God’s timing.” 99% of the time people who say that are using spiritual slang to avoid the first step. Tragic. These people also tend to be the most critical of others who are stepping out in faith, because there is a seed of resentment inside of them that they haven’t done it as well. The rules you need to follow as you step out in faith and do something new are this: Would God be pleased with what you are doing? Will it do good to others? If you start with those, then you will be on the right track and you can add more to it later.
In our 15-years of Travel the Road, we can tell you we have experienced a vivid and rich life of memories. It feels as if we have lived many lifetimes yet we are still young. We are so blessed and thank God for the life He has called us to. We are not rich, have no home, nor have a place to call our own, but we are rich in our hearts and happy with our memories. Youth and strength of the Lord flow through us, and we look at everyday ahead with hope and faith that the Lord will use us even more to accomplish His will.