Living on Borrowed Time

This piece shares thoughts and traditions I believe come from my southern background.

Living on Borrowed Time -- In Memoriam of Jacquelyn "Jackie" Adams
No matter who we are or where we are in life, we are all living on borrowed time.

Borrowed time is much like a loan. Eventually, the payment will come due.

Some loans allow you to pay only the interest for a while.
Others require payments along the way.
Still others allow you to wait until the loan matures.

Life on Mother Earth seems similar in many ways.

Unlike earthly loans, however, we cannot pay this one off early.
We cannot make advance payments.
We cannot renegotiate the terms.

When the time given to us comes due, the debt must be paid in full, with no extensions.

At birth, life is handed to us up front. No costs. No interest. Just a promissory note written in time.

Many of us are blessed to pass through childhood, adolescence, the teenage years, young adulthood, maturity, and perhaps even reach a ripe old age.

Yet no matter how long the loan lasts, payment will be exacted one day. Most often it arrives without warning, without notice, and without so much as a phone call. Day or night, young or old, the account is settled just the same.

It is one truth we cannot escape. No one gets out of here alive.

But that does not mean our time here is meaningless—quite the opposite.

Borrowed time is a gift, and it should be treated as though it were made of earthly diamonds, gold, and silver. It is precious beyond measure. It should not be wasted, nor taken for granted.

Invest it wisely.

Do not spend all of your borrowed time on frivolity, pride, anger, or any of the things that weaken the spirit. Instead, deposit something of value into the account of your life each day: kindness, forgiveness, faith, compassion, service to others.

Check in often with what is right, what is good, and what is godly.

Because while our time on earth is borrowed, our actions echo far beyond it.

For those who believe, this world is not the only home we will ever know. It is simply one stop along a much longer journey.

Borrowed time reminds us to live with purpose, to love without hesitation, and to leave something worthwhile behind for those who follow after us.

So, while you still have breath in your body and time left in your account, live well. Love deeply. Forgive freely. Serve faithfully.

And never forget that every sunrise you see is another small deposit of grace.

Borrowed time is exactly that, borrowed.
And as surely as we were born, one day the account will close.

Until then, make every moment count.