In Focus

I love tower defense games. For those of you who don't know what they are, the basic premise is you build a bunch of towers to prevent the bad guys from reaching your base. With each passing level, the bad guys get stronger, so you have to keep building more towers or upgrading them to keep up. I can literally spend a couple hours on a good TD game.

Yet these are hours I will never get back. Hours that I could spend doing something else. I could be learning another language, reading the Bible, helping people on Excel forums, writing, editing, sending my work off to publishers, promoting my online work more, volunteering, getting in shape, or even just cleaning my room. Instead of taking steps to become the man I want to be, I sit around dreaming that I am already that man.

This isn't to say that all diversions are wasteful. I don't advocate a Spartan, fun-free lifestyle. I think it is well past time, though, that I call into question how I spend my time. Certainly, I have done things that required hard work and dedication, so I cannot say all my time has been wasted, but I know I am capable of accomplishing so much more.

Are you? I don't mean this in an accusatory way, nor do I mean to doubt your abilities, but are you spending your time well? This doesn't simply mean that you're not wasting hour after hour playing games or watching TV; you could be working on something that has no real meaning or bearing on your life. It could be a dead-end job you stay in because you're too afraid to use your gifts to their full potential. It could be a relationship you don't end because then you'll be alone. It could be friends you hang out with, but who don't challenge you to grow as a person.

We are supposed to move forward with our lives. For far too long, I have been moving forward only incrementally, then patting myself on the back and rewarding myself with some downtime. The next week starts in an hour. I'm going to spend a little time in the Bible and get ready for bed. For this next week, though, I'm going to give up all online games. I'm going to use that time to do at least a couple of the things I mentioned in my second paragraph and see what kind of change it makes.

I challenge you to do the same thing. Find one frivolous activity in your life that is taking hours each week and either cut it out or severely limit it for this next week. Use that time to do what you know you should be doing. I'd be very curious to hear your stories.