138 Challenge

Where did all the time go? The year 2016 felt like a blur. There was so much that happened in 2016, yet days felt like hours, while hours felt like seconds. It is hard to believe we are now in 2017. The clock will not turn back. We must embrace each moment because they are fleeting. If you are wired like me, then perhaps you use the turn of a new year to evaluate and plan for new opportunities to come in the months ahead.

Did you know that there are 8,760 hours in this calendar year? If you slept 8 hours a day, you would sleep 2,920 hours, which would leave 5,840 waking hours. If you worked 8 hours per day, 6 days a week, with no vacation, that would come to 2,496 hours, still leaving 3,344 waking hours. If you spent 4 hours a day, 6 days per week in traffic, that would come to 1,248 hours still leaving 2,096 waking hours remaining. If you spent 5 hours per day, 7 days per week with family or friends, it would come to 1,820 hours still leaving 276 hours remaining. By now, you either feel excited or overwhelmed by these possibilities. Hopefully, you heard these statistics and came to the realization that you have more free time available than you thought! Perhaps you realized how much time you have available that could be reallocated toward accomplishing something greater.

What if you invested just half of those 276 hours (138 hours) into something eternal? What if you committed that time to the Lord? What if you used time in traffic for communing instead of complaining? What if those 138 hours were given to prayer and meditation on Scripture? Just like spending time around a campfire will make you smell like smoke. If you spend more time with Jesus, you will become more like Him. We position ourselves around Jesus through prayer, meditating on Scripture and gathering with God’s family (local church).

What do you have to lose by trying something different? I am not promising you a better job, which will lead to more money, leading to a newer car or a newer home. These financial status changes may come for some of you, but certainly not all of you. However, I know your relationship status will change: from lonely to loved, from forgotten to forgiven. The Gospel changes us from the inside out. It changes us well before our circumstances. Will you take the challenge to commit 138 hours (or more) to knowing the Lord better this year? I promise you, accepting this challenge will change everything!