"Amici diem perdidi"
As fall approaches you may be asking the same question I am: What happened to the summer? I waited so long for it and was just in the midst of really relaxing and enjoying my time off from school when suddenly I walked into Target and there were school supplies and backpacks as far as the eye could see. So summer is winding up for me, for those of us who are headed back to school and onto other phases of life. Maybe you feel as if it’s the same old thing for you. Whether the kids are going back to school, or you just find yourself in the yearly routine of getting your house—even your life ready for fall and the winter months that will follow—I want to challenge you to add some new things to your life. Whether learning a new skill, increasing your knowledge in some particular field, or just becoming more proficient at the things you do every day, there’s always room for improvement.
The average person sits in front of the TV or computer—just to pass the time away—for 2 hours each day. I’d even say that’s a conservative figure. But, if you add even those 2 little hours up over the course of 60 years—they amount to a full seven years! Do you realize what could have been accomplished in seven years? One might earn a master’s degree, or become an accomplished musician. One could excel in a foreign language or learn to become an excellent seamstress. The possibilities are endless. What you decide to do with those two hours a day could make a very big difference in your life in terms of feeling fulfilled and feeling as if you are accomplishing something.
As a pastor’s wife, if you just sit around at home, flipping through magazines or clipping coupons or cutting out Sunday school crafts, you may look back on your life one day and wonder what it was all about. Do something for yourself, to enrich yourself, to use all the talents and gifts God has given you. We know we invest in our children, husbands, and others—but don’t forget yourself. Reading is an excellent way to increase your vocabulary and your knowledge of the world around you. It doesn’t cost a thing—you always have the library or the Internet. Read the Word of God, study it, and look at what the commentators are saying. Become a thinker. Plan. Dream. Act. There’s a Latin phrase I have often used in teaching the young ladies in my weekly Sunday school class, its poignancy is revealed in only three Latin words: Amici diem perdidi. The interpretation? “Friends, I have lost a day.”
May you have the most productive and rewarding seasons just around the corner. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12
