Existing or Living?

Scripture: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." — Romans 7:15

Are we existing or living?

I recently came across a breakdown of how the average person spends the 168 hours in a week.

• 40 hours working

• 56 hours sleeping

• 7 hours exercising

• 20 hours with family at home

  
  

That leaves 45 hours remaining.

Even if we add another 10 hours for commuting and 20 hours for household responsibilities, we still have 15 hours left each week. Now, let's say we spend an hour with the Lord each day and another two hours at church on Sunday. We would still have 6 unaccounted-for hours every week.

When I saw that breakdown, I felt a pang of conviction.

How often have I said, "I just don't have time," when the reality is that the problem isn't a lack of time—it's how I'm choosing to spend the time I've been given.

And if I'm honest, I don't sleep eight hours every night. I don't exercise seven hours each week. As a single woman with grown children, I probably don't spend 20 hours a week in family activities either. If anything, I have even more discretionary time than the example suggests.

While every season of life looks different, I imagine most of us could say the same thing. We often aren't lacking time—we're simply not budgeting it wisely.

In today's Scripture, Paul describes the battle that every believer experiences. We know what we ought to do, yet we often find ourselves doing the very things we wish we didn't. Our sinful nature continually competes with our desire to honor God.

Living requires intention.

Existing happens automatically.

If we want to truly live the life God has called us to, we must make intentional choices.

If we don't want to be exhausted, we must prioritize sleep.

If we want to become healthier, we must prioritize nutritious food and regular exercise.

If we want deeper relationships with Christ, our families, our spouses, or our friends, we must intentionally invest time in those relationships.

Years ago, I heard the phrase, "Garbage in, garbage out." In that context, it referred to someone whose unhealthy diet was affecting how they looked and felt.

But isn't that true in every area of life?

We eventually become like what we consistently consume.

How many times have we binged an entire television series in a single day, yet felt impatient when a church service lasted a few extra minutes? When was the last time we spent an entire day reading God's Word, studying Scripture, praying, or simply resting in His presence?

I'm writing this as much to myself as I am to you.

Far too often I look back on my day and think, Why did I spend my time that way? I knew there were better choices to make. I knew what God was calling me to do, say, or think. Yet I allowed comfort, distraction, or habit to make those decisions instead.

When we live on autopilot instead of living intentionally, our sinful nature becomes the default setting.

That doesn't mean everything we do is sinful. But when we fail to intentionally direct our time, our money, our gifts, our thoughts, and our attention toward the things of God, we become much more vulnerable to allowing sin to gain ground in our lives.

Every day, we're spending the resources God has entrusted to us.

The question isn't whether we're spending them.

The question is what we're spending them on.

Reflection:Are there areas of your life that are running on autopilot? What intentional changes can you make this week to become a better steward of the time, gifts, talents, and opportunities God has given you?

Prayer:Lord, forgive me for the times I allow my sinful nature to make decisions instead of surrendering those choices to You. Help me to be a faithful steward of the time, money, gifts, and talents You have entrusted to me. Teach me to live intentionally, choosing what honors You over what simply comes naturally. May my life reflect the priorities of Your Kingdom and not the distractions of this world. In Jesus' name, Amen.