Time That's Left

I recently noticed on my little count-down on my blog that I only  have 300-ish hours left until I leave on my mission! I mean, I still have 311 whole hours left until I finally get to leave! But this has made me think about what I do with every hour. An hour wasted on Pinterest and Facebook and the New York Times is gone and can't be retrieved. (Sometimes, the way I talk and the way other people talk, you'd think I was dying in 300 hours..but really? I think the next 18 months will be more full of living than anything.)

So what will I do with those 300 hours? Well, for about 97 of them I'll be sleeping, if I get 7.5 hours a night. That leaves me with 203 waking hours to finish my classes, take finals, do some more shopping, say goodbye to everyone, speak in church, pack everything I want for the next year and half (!!), watch general conference, spend time with my family, and become mentally prepared to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. Whew. So much to do, so little time.

 

And yet, I've had 4.5 months since I received my call. I have no excuses. This whole scenario reminds me of the verse in Alma that says, "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God." Who knows if you only have 300 hours to prepare meet a situation much more serious than a mission? Not to be morbid, but still.

So what will you do with the time that's left? Fritter it away? With less than two weeks before I go, the song Time from Jericho Road has been running through my head. One verse says:

Time is a movin,

Are you using

To be losing

The precious gift of time

It went so fast

But you thought it would last

And I wonder when you'll see that

Your time's run out

He is your best friend

So remember when

Your life seemed like a whirlwind

He was waiting

Forever by your side

It goes so fast You think it's gonna last

But I wonder when you'll see

That the time is now

Your time or are you choosin'