How often do you find yourself hearing or saying, "It's almost Friday!," "We're so close to the weekend," or phrases of the like? I know I use those lines as encouragement for my fellow college students more than I should. It makes sense to look forward to Friday; the weekend means a break from school, work, and the humdrum of the weekdays. Notwithstanding, I want to propose to you that this TGIF mindset is dangerous. Living for the weekend instead of for today causes you to simply go through the motions—and that, friends, is not how we are called to live.
For all my math people out there, let's crunch some numbers. Say you live to be 75 years old (the average America life span). This is equivalent to about 28,000 days. Only 12,000 of those are weekend days (I'm even including Fridays). Kinda scary, huh? Our days on this earth are numbered and tomorrow isn't promised. We get so caught up in the next deadline or the next bill that needs to be paid that we forget to stop for a second and bask in our blessings.
There is this cycle of life that has more or less become an expectation in this day and age. We're born, we grow up, we get an education, we get a job, we get married, we have kids, our kids have kids, and eventually we die. It is all too easy to think, "Things will be better when ___________." Fill in that blank for yourself. When I'm married. When I have children. When I have a better job. What if, that day never comes?
It's important not to live for the weekend, but I would venture to say it's even more important not to live from stage to stage. Don't focus on the next best thing, focus on being content where you are right now.
Don't you want to love life seven days of the week, not just two or three? Memories are not only made Friday-Sunday. You could eat the best meal of your life, fall in love, or make a life-changing discovery any day of the week. Each day brings new opportunities, new mercies from the Father (Lamentations 3:22-23), and new invitations to be all there. Don't be the person that waits all week for Friday, all year for summer, and all life for happiness, because if you do, you may never find it.