If I asked 100 people of all different races, creeds, nationalities, sexual orientations, able and non-able bodies what they remember most about the year 2020, I am quite sure they will say COVID-19, in which they should. This year has been like no other.
From the scandals that were revealed, jobs that were either lost or gained, the homes that some were evicted from or possibly the new homeowners that were able to gain a home due to the extremely low interest rates. In a few weeks, Americans will be going to the polls to elect new government officials and this is shaping up to be a crucial year in which I pray that everyone uses their right to vote.
We then turn our attention to the newest additions that we have gained on this earth with the newborn babies and also the number of people who lost their lives. It seems that over the past few weeks, we continue to hear about another famous person passing but in local news, the city of Memphis has already set a new homicide record with months still to go before the end of the year. I found out a few nights ago that a Shipmate of mine was killed leaving behind a very young child, friends and family. I, like many of you, seem to have lost more family members this year, than in any other year that I can think of.
So I ask this question of you. What's the first thing you want to know when you wake up each morning? I will give you time to think about this question. Ok, times up! Each one of us wakes up with the same question on our minds: What time is it? We wipe our eyes and look for the nearest clock to check the time. Throughout the day, we continue to look at our watch or stare at a clock to either go to work or school, get off, go on a date, go to church, call someone, and anything else you can think of. I have never known anyone to check the time to see when their last moment on this earth will be. How many times have you used the term "I'm just killing time?" That term means that "I'm throwing away my life waiting for the next moment to come." If you sit and think about it, there is no way to waste or kill time, the proper term is that you are wasting yourself doing nothing when you should or could be doing something that could benefit you or someone else.
John Maxwell stated in his book Today Matters, "it may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It's too late for yesterday and you can't depend on tomorrow. That's why today matters." Let that sink in. The next second is not promised to any of us. The people that have passed away probably woke up thinking they had more time and might have used some of the phrases, "I will get up in a few minutes, whoever is calling me at this time of morning can wait until I get up, or I will do it tomorrow." The common thread between all of us on this planet is that we don't know when we will take our last breath. You can choose to live in the moment and be fully present and know that yesterday has ended and tomorrow hasn't arrived.
So, I ask you again, "What time is it?" It's time to stop playing games thinking that the world owes you something. It's time for you to stop complaining about what someone did to you for you to be in the situation that you are in. It's time for you to realize that we are all created equal and that we all have a purpose on this earth and to think that you are greater than someone else for whatever reason you can come up with...is false. It's time for you to know that not everyone thinks like you and that someone else's views, matters as well. It's time for you to learn to be independent and responsible for your own actions.
So in the immortal words of Outkast, It's time for you to "git up, git out and git something. Don't let the days of your life pass." #SPEAK2MYHEART
