Yesterday morning devotion took a different turn in my mind, hence this post. So if you are not interested in verses from the bible or what I got from it then you can stop reading right now. But I promise this post is not religious. At least I do not think it is.

For over 3years now I have been able to read a verse from the bible almost every day, listen to the verses being broken down by different Ministers of God across the world and religiously (and gladly) shared the bible verses for each day on some of my social media platforms. All these and more have been possible because of the YouVersion Bible app. I recommend this app which currently has has over 485million downloads across the world and offers 2,062 bible versions in over 1000 languages for free, if you are looking to better your daily devotion and intimacy with God.

So yesterday’s bible verse was from the 12^th book of Ecclesiastes. Personally, I have a habit of reading not just the verse but the whole chapter of the book in the bible from which the verse of the day was extracted. It gives me context and a better grasp of the power and grace that comes with each verse. I also do not feel like a lazy buff who could only give just enough time needed to read a tweet for my morning devotion when I spend more time reading through hundreds of tweets a day.

The first verse from Ecclesiastes 12 reads – “Remember your creator in the days of your youths before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’”. For reasons unknown to me, my life flashed before my eyes, not in response to a life threatening situation but at the fact that I am 32 and the days of youth are fast running. I started thinking of my choices, the possibility of a spiritual algorithm (click here if you missed that post) and how much I have spent thinking of the future…when the future is live and now.

We are in a fast paced digital world where many are trapped in the desire to ‘blow’ and succeed. The desire to be successful is never a bad thing. However, the world is changing and it’s easy to be pressured to want to achieve whatever your definition of success is at an early age. This happens for some and for many, it takes time and process. I do believe there are celebrations and milestone that are peculiar to certain ages and different stages in life and this is for those who are lucky to have the normal. For others, it happens differently…but it happens. Social media has made teenagers not have the luxury of being teenagers anymore. Younger adults are not left out. Jumping from wanting to be the best graduating student to getting that well-paying job and pushing your career fast and high enough to be celebrated as exceptional in your chosen field or just wanting to have the best curated page on social media, the perfect photo angle and editing app. There is a drive to look perfect for the gram and public opinion but not to be perfect. To be smart on the timeline and proffer answers and solution to every societal issue but not to be better than who you were yesterday. Perfect in theory but thrash in practical.  There is the question of ‘what age you made your first million’, how much can you spend on a date to prove ‘premium boyfriend material’ and how much of an independent woman you can be to prove that you are girlfriend material so much so that you don’t need a man.

All these things are valid in their own rights but what about the finer things of life;  the beauty in nature, the satisfaction in impact, the joy from kindness, the warmth from companionship, the fun in letting go, the hope in a smile, the rush in long walks, the ecstasy in falling in love, the beauty in worship, the risk is exploring and adventures, the sunset and sun rise, the secret the moon holds, the reassurance in the stars, the smell of coffee, the intrigue from reading, the science of the ocean, the blessing of lights, etc. How much are you living? There will never be a better time to take it all in. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. Find your rhythm and dance.

After much thought and consideration, I can proudly say that I do not have regrets and that I have lived life enough based on the hand I was dealt. I however, want to do more, live more, achieve more, impact more, have more fun and just be happy in the provision of breath and good health. I want the finer things of life and I will get them in the pockets of joy and opportunities each day brings. You should do same.

feature Photo by Walid Ahmad from Pexels