When I was younger, the question was, “Is it right or wrong?” I wanted to obey the Lord and do what he had commanded me to do. Now, at my life stage, the question is, “Is it wise or foolish?” In the sense of right or wrong, many things would be okay but not very wise. An important area for me is how I spend my time. Another area close to managing time is how I use my energy; it is a limited commodity in my life. Another one is how we spend our money. There is a lot of leeway and freedom in those areas if we don’t care how much we accomplish with our life that has eternal value. The older I get, the more that seems to matter to me; I think that is because the time I have left to do something that matters is running out, so I need to use it well.

I got to thinking the other day as I was reading the book of 2nd Timothy and remembered that this was Paul’s last letter and that he wrote it from prison. He didn’t have a cell phone, an iPad, computer games, YouTube videos, not much of anything. I would guess that the things he had to choose between to manage his time well were small. I really wouldn’t want to be in prison like Paul was, but there is something in me that makes me envious of that simple life when it comes to making wise choices.

Often, the choosing isn’t figuring out what is wiser—I usually already know that. It is the willingness to do the harder thing, which is usually the wiser thing, and the self-control to do what my flesh doesn’t necessarily want to do.

Sometimes, I just want to say, “Awe, the heck with it! As long as it doesn’t make someone mad, I will just do what is easy and enjoyable.” But, I guess, at that point, we have moved beyond what is wise to what is mature, and I should be there at 76!