Lost In Time
March 3, 2022
When one finds themselves taking the wrong exit or traveling down the wrong highway, they simply ask GPS to guide them towards their destination. When someone is lost out in the wilderness without any cell service, they look at a map to lead them back to the right path. When others are in desperate need of advice to help them in their life journey, they call upon those who have wandered down the same road. However, these very means people depend on to bring them forward in life are being taken for granted. GPS is being cursed for not taking people down the roads they want to travel on. Maps are being torn after being too hard to read. The few who do help others are being punished for giving the wrong advice. When these very elements are taken from people, when life itself is taken from a person, only then does one realize the true importance in life: time. Time itself is not a guarantee or even a promise; it is a gift. It is what can give a person an opportunity and also take one in a single breath. Time is what can give a person the chance to mend what has been broken or regret what was left unsaid. Time, something so important, yet taken so lightly. The small pleasures and beauties in life are being taken for granted, people are left struggling with the past instead of looking towards a future, and regret fills those who choose to do nothing.
…Only then does one realize the true importance in life: time.
The misconception of time is causing some of the smallest but most important pleasures and beauties in life to go unnoticed by individuals. In today’s world, people seem to get wrapped up in small matters, such as fame and money, that they forget about what matters the most to them in life. People are putting their public image above those closest to them. Social media users are worrying more about the number of followers they have instead of the impact their content is having on others. Money is the root of all evil, damaging relationships and causing tension in society. It is not about the amount of fame someone has, the views or followers they have on their social media platforms, or the money they have sitting in the bank. At the end of the day, no amount of fame, followers, or money can bring about more time with those closest to someone. One day, each and every person is going to have their internal clock run out of time. God is going to call his people home, and those who still have life to live are going to be forced to say goodbye to those who do not. For this very reason, people should focus not on gaining likes on their recent TikTok or buying the most expensive luxuries to prove wealth, but on the time they have with their loved ones. Only when the day comes when someone loses their loved one do they realize the small things they took for granted. The old and annoying music that they used to play or the simple ‘goodnight’ they would mumble before bed or the movie nights in the living room. These very things seem like everyday occurrences, but they are the very things that one misses the second that someone is gone. Enjoy the littlest moments in life before they are gone, even when they don’t seem to be all important because one day, someone will be left without them, and they won’t have the chance to have them again.
People should focus not on gaining likes on their recent TikTok or buying the most expensive luxuries to prove wealth, but on the time they have with their loved ones.
Not only this, but people should look towards their future instead of dwelling on what has already happened. It is important that people think about and remember what has already taken place, but it is important that they also realize that they must move forward. Time does not wait for those stuck in the past, wishing to go back in time. Instead, it keeps passing along, leaving those who are lost in their past moments without a future at all. No amount of time can fix what has already been done. Sure, someone can sit and analyze any aspect of their past and think about what they could’ve done instead. It is important that one realizes what they did and why it was right or wrong, but soon after this realization, they should take it as a teachable moment and move on. A mistake will always be a mistake, and much like it, success will always be success. No one can go back in time and change that fact, and even if one could, those very events, good or bad, that have happened in someone’s past have shaped them into the beautiful person they are at the present time. Everyone has parts of their past that they are extremely proud of while other parts would rather be forgotten. However, it is what has shaped them. It is what has made them realize what they want in life and how to go about obtaining it. For that, every individual should be thankful for the person that their past has helped create and the future they have been given to reach the goals that will make them a better person. Time is not meant for a story to repeat itself but to leave one wondering what will happen next.
Time does not wait for those stuck in the past, wishing to go back in time.
Much like their fixation on the past, people seem to miss the opportunities presented by life that will one day be regretted. Only when someone’s time is threatened does one actually realize that it is not a moment that makes one’s life great, but what one chooses to do in the moment they are given. Because time is not promised to anyone, an opportunity should not pass by that could later be regretted for not taking. Not every opportunity comes at the right moment, but when a person is left questioning whether or not they will regret not taking it, they should take the chance on that opportunity. Even if it is not meant for someone at that exact moment in time, at least they can say they had the experience of taking such chance. One cannot regret not doing something if they have done everything their heart has desired. While some may argue that taking chances comes with risks, every aspect of life presents unknown risks. Getting up out of bed in the morning, taking a shower, and driving to school are actions every single person has taken more than once, but there were several risks involved in doing so. Getting up out of bed in the morning could cause a person to feel tired due to little amounts of sleep, but they still get up to live out the rest of the day. Someone taking a shower could easily slip and break a bone or two; however, people take showers in order to maintain personal hygiene. An accident could occur while driving to school, but people still choose to do so in order to obtain an education for their futures. All of these are measures people choose to take; they don’t have to, but they do it anyways despite the risk involved because it is what makes their time all that it can be. No action, opportunity, or chance has to be taken, but people still take them. So why not take as many opportunities or chances that one can take before their time is up. Why not live life to the fullest instead of fearing what could happen. No opportunity is granted to someone twice, so why not take it while you have the chance, while time still allows for one to do so.
Why not live life to the fullest instead of fearing what could happen.
Time has not been taken seriously. In fact, people are taking the smallest, most precious moments in life for granted, events of the past are consuming one’s future, and opportunities are left untaken due to misinterpretation of time. It’s okay to venture down new roads, explore parts unknown, and listen to advice that may not be helpful at the moment. What matters is one can say that they have used their time to live life and have fun doing so. No one is promised tomorrow, nor are they promised the rest of today. Only God himself knows when someone’s time is up, and only He gets to decide when to call someone home. It is not the amount of time that determines a great life but it is what one chooses to do in the amount of time they are given that decides how great their life will be.
