Most people look at a microwave timer because they are waiting for something to happen. I look at it because I am reminded that something is always happening. As the numbers count down — 60, 59, 58 — I watch each second disappear. Most people see a meal getting closer. I see something else.
I see a moment that will never return. That second is gone forever.
We often talk about time as if it is something we have. We say we have time to do something. We have time to fix something. We have time to tell someone what they mean to us. But the truth is, time is not something we own. It is something we are given.
And every second that passes becomes part of a story we can never rewrite.
The Strange Way We Experience Time
When we are young, time feels endless. A summer vacation seems to last forever. A year between birthdays feels like an eternity. The future is so far away that we rarely think about how quickly it will arrive. Then one day, you look around and wonder how so many years disappeared.
The days can feel incredibly long, but the years somehow move faster than we can understand. A difficult day can feel like it will never end. A difficult season can feel like it will never pass. But years later, those same moments become memories. They become chapters in a story we are still writing.
The day crawled. The decade flew.
The Memories That Find Us
One of the most amazing things about time is that it never truly leaves us behind. Sometimes we are sitting quietly when something happens. A song plays on the radio. A familiar smell fills the air. A photograph appears. A place brings back a feeling. And suddenly, we are no longer just remembering.
We are there.
A song from decades ago is not just a song. It is the car you were driving. The person sitting beside you. The dreams you had. The person you were before life added more chapters. A smell is not just a smell. It might be a childhood home, a family gathering, a summer evening, or a moment you thought you had forgotten. The memories are still there, waiting.
Sometimes they are so vivid it feels like you could reach out and touch them. One memory leads to another. Then another. And for a brief moment, yesterday feels like today.
The Person We Were and the Person We Become
The beautiful and difficult thing about time is that it changes us. The person you were at 18 or 20 is still a part of you, but you are not that same person anymore. And that is not a bad thing. It means you lived. Every experience shaped you. Every success. Every failure. Every friendship. Every heartbreak. Every person who entered your life and every person who left.
They all became part of who you are today.
The dreams we had when we were young may still exist, but the person pursuing those dreams has changed. At 20, we may think we know exactly what we want. At 50, we may still want those same things, but we understand them differently. We don’t just want success. We want significance. We don’t just want someone beside us. We want someone who truly knows us. We don’t just want experiences. We want experiences that matter. The dream may remain the same, but the meaning behind the dream evolves.
Carrying What Time Gives Us
Life requires us to constantly unpack and repack ourselves. We experience joy, and we carry that joy forward. We experience loss, and we learn how to carry that loss. We experience disappointment, and we decide what lessons we will take with us. Some people believe healing means putting everything away and forgetting. But that is not how life works.
The people we have loved do not disappear because time moves forward. The lessons we have learned do not disappear because the calendar changes. The experiences that shaped us become part of the person we bring into tomorrow. We are all carrying a suitcase filled with moments. Some things inside are heavy. Some things inside are beautiful. Some things we need to unpack and release. Some things we need to hold onto because they remind us how far we have come.
Counting Moments, Not Just Years
The Bible says: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12. Notice it does not say to number our years. It says our days. Because life is not lived in decades. It is lived in moments. A conversation. A kind word. A prayer. A helping hand. A laugh shared with someone you love. A second standing in front of a microwave realizing that even this ordinary moment is a gift. One day, the clock will stop for each of us. None of us know when that moment will come.
But until then, the seconds are still counting. The question is not how much time we have left. The question is what we do with the time we have been given. Because every second that passes becomes part of our story. And the greatest gift we can give ourselves is to be present enough to notice the story while we are still living it.
Help Continue the Mission
Every person has a story.
Every person carries experiences, struggles, victories, and moments that shaped who they are.
The mission behind this work is simple: to encourage people to recognize their value, discover their purpose, and understand that they do not have to walk through life alone.
Through writing, speaking, and sharing these messages, my hope is to create a place where people can find encouragement, reflection, and the reminder that their story matters.
If something you read here has helped you, challenged you, or reminded you that you are not alone, consider supporting this mission.
Your support helps make it possible to continue creating content that encourages growth, connection, faith, and transformation.
Because sometimes a single message, shared at the right moment, can remind someone that they are seen, valued, and never forgotten.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
