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This past week while recording down each milestone in the life my newborn son, I thought about the way we demarcate the passing of our lives.

Early on, every second matters. Babies’ lives are measured in days, then weeks, then months. Somewhere around the 18-month mark, it gives way to years and halves. When children learn fractions, their lives are measure more precisely – “I’m six and three-fourths.”

Each year of a teen’s life means one step closer to being respected by adults and more freedoms. Then you think the same thing when you turn 20 and 21. And some time after 25, your age is measured by early, mid and late decade you’re in. Until about mid-40 and then it’s just 40-something or 50-something.

By your 60s, you don’t even care. You’re just happy to have made it that far, long since abandoning the precious delineation of years or even divided decades.

And then I thought about this verse:

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. – Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

Eternity in the human heart. In light of eternity, our time on this rock shouldn’t be remembered in vague terms. Our years here are precious seconds compared to eternity.

Much like the early days of a newborn’s life are observed and monitored with such meticulous care, so should we reflect on each day of our lives. What did we learn today? How did we grow? Whose life did we touch in a positive way? Who made an impact on me? How can I get better tomorrow?

As we’re reminded earlier in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything, but there’s no time to waste.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: How are you taking inventory of each day that passes in your life?