The Hours You Can't Get Back

Scripture:
"Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:15-16

I checked my screen time report last week and nearly dropped my phone. Four hours a day. Four hours scrolling, watching, consuming content I can barely remember. That's 28 hours a week—more than a full day lost to mindless digital wandering.

Time is the great equaliser. The billionaire and the minimum-wage worker both get 24 hours a day. The genius and the average person both get 168 hours a week. Nobody gets more. Nobody can save it up. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

Paul's words to the Ephesians cut right to the heart of time stewardship: be careful how you live. Make the most of every opportunity. The phrase "making the most" literally means "buying up" or "redeeming" time. It's the image of someone at a market, carefully selecting what's valuable and leaving the junk behind.
We think we're relaxing when we scroll for hours, but often we're just numbing. We think we'll get to the important things eventually, but eventually rarely comes. We tell ourselves we don't have time to pray, to call that friend, to work on that dream, to serve at church, but then we somehow find three hours for Netflix.
I'm not saying rest is bad. Rest is essential. But there's a difference between rest that restores you and distraction that drains you. Between choosing how you spend time and just letting it leak away.

Here's what helped me: I started asking, "Will I be glad I spent time on this tomorrow? Next week? Next year?" That TikTok rabbit hole? Probably not. That conversation with my daughter? Absolutely. That book that challenges me? Yes. That doom-scrolling through news and arguments? Definitely not.

The truth is, we make time for what matters to us. Our calendars don't lie. If something's truly a priority, it shows up in how we actually spend our hours, not just in what we say matters.

God gave you today—this specific Friday, Tuesday, or Sunday—as a gift. You'll never get it again. The question isn't whether you have enough time. It's whether you're stewarding the time you have.

Reflection: If you looked at last week's schedule honestly, what does it say you really value? What's one time-waster you could replace with something meaningful?

Prayer: Father, my days slip away so quickly. Help me see time as the precious gift it is. Give me wisdom to invest my hours in what truly matters and courage to say no to what doesn't. Amen.