Years ago, my sons and I went hiking at Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. They were teenagers at the time with more energy than me, so I waited as they explored an extension of the trail. They returned with excitement, having found an expensive watch someone had lost. After several months, the park gave the watch to our sons after no one claimed it.
Darick Langos of Illinois doesn’t stumble upon lost watches; he goes looking for them. He has combined his love of metal detecting with scuba diving and has found more then 200 Apple Watches in the lakes of that region. He also looks for wedding rings, glasses, and other items that people may lose while out boating. It’s his large collection of watches that caught my attention, however.
Langos has a word of advice to owners of Apple Watches: if you are around water, replace the sports bands that come with many models; they don’t stay on. His advice should be considered “expert advice”, considering the stash of watches pictured with him in the UPI article.
I have never lost a watch while on the water (though I did once lose a pair of glasses). But I’ll have to admit, I have lost time on numerous occasions. I don’t believe Darick Langos could help me with that.
God’s word declares that our lives are rapidly passing by. Job said it this way in Job 7:6,7: “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Oh, remember that my life is a breath!” James 4:14 used similar imagery to make the same point: “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
Moses also mused on the nature of mortal life in Psalm 90:10: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
The obvious lesson is then stated by Moses in verse 12: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Just now I have (literally) numbered my days: I have lived 25,502 days since the day of my birth. But that’s not really what Moses meant, is it? He meant that we are to use our time wisely, knowing that our days are limited.
Ephesians 5:15-17 states our challenge when it comes to time management: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Too often I have wasted my time with trivial pursuits. I will never be able to retrieve that lost time, not even with a metal detector. But with God’s help and guidance I can make better use of my time from this moment forward.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall
