In my sophomore year of high school, I got my first job as a bag boy at Food Lion. My minimum-wage job provided me with more money than I had ever had for myself before. I was on top of the world. Each weekend, I loved going to movies with friends and spending money on things I loved but didn’t need. As a 16-year-old, I loved buying things with my own money. Until I couldn’t anymore.

One weekend, I was going to the library to study with friends, but I had to stop for gas first. I swiped the card to fill it up… declined. I tried again… declined—no money in my bank account. I had worked so hard for it and spent it so freely. I returned home quickly, and my parents questioned why I returned without going to the library. Holding back tears, I told my parents I didn’t have enough money for gas and couldn’t make it to the library. My dad immediately went to his wallet and grabbed cash for me to fill up gas.

But he didn’t hand over the money without stern words of wisdom. “This is the only time I will do this for you. Learn from it. If you don’t watch your money, it will be gone, and you can’t get it back.” That was 15 years ago, and those words are still with me. Be a good steward of what I have, or it will disappear. The truth is, I didn’t truly appreciate the money I had until it was gone. Then, I wished I had been wiser about it.

The same could be said of time. If we aren’t careful with our time, we will lose it quickly and won’t get it back. We can’t even work to acquire more. It is gone forever. Please don’t wait until you have no more time before you wish you would have spent it differently. Use your time wisely. It is quickly fleeting to never be seen again. How we spend our time may not seem important now, but it could have eternal ramifications. Don’t waste your life on worthless things. Spend your time for the glory of God.