Published on 08/18/2008

What is counting down in your life this morning?

If you're New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, today isn't August 18—it's day 500 of the countdown to the end of his term in office. You are probably surprised by that fact, or more likely don't care. But if you worked for Mr. Bloomberg, you wouldn't need my essay to remind you—you would be staring at a digital countdown clock whose only job is to tell you how many days are left in the mayor's term. Today's New York Times tells us that the mayor bought 14 of them for various city offices after he won reelection. They've been there ever since, counting down the days until Mayor Bloomberg is done.

Apparently Michael Phelps needs one of Mr. Bloomberg's clocks. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that the window for Mr. Phelps to capitalize on his remarkable Olympic success is closing fast. His agent has been fielding offers and propositions for days now. A dog-food idea was pitched, along with bobblehead dolls, commemorative coins, car rims (?) and tuxedos (??). Some people want to give him all the pizza he could eat for a year (are world-class athletes allowed to eat pizza?), or free dental work (in case he takes the pizza offer?). Not surprisingly, the article states that "certain female celebrities and athletes wanted an introduction." But he'd better hurry, before advertisers move on to the "next big thing." Time waits for no man, not even the fastest swimmer in history.

I think the mayor is on to something. The Dallas Cowboys could use a clock counting down the days to the playoffs, just in case they win a game when they get there. The Texas Rangers could have a calendar counting down the years to a real pitching staff. Senators Obama and McCain could count down the days (or minutes) to the next series of ads criticizing each other. You and I could count down the days to November 4 and the cessation of political hostilities, at least until November 5.

What is counting down in your life this morning? Days until your youngest child leaves for college? (It's Friday for us, but I'm in denial.) Hours until the next thing you'd rather avoid? (Deacons meeting is tonight, but I'm always thrilled to go, of course.) Are you waiting for a child to come home from the first day of school? A doctor to call with test results? A soldier's next email from overseas?

Over the years, I've learned the importance of giving every hour to God, every hour. If I will "pray continuously" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) all through the day, about everything which comes my way, this will be a day filled with peace and purpose. If I don't, I'll fret from one task to the next, never done, never satisfied. Are you like me?

P.S. I want to thank all of you who responded so kindly to our recent Q&A series, and to all who submitted such outstanding questions for future essays. We're thinking about ways to respond to your obvious interest in Q&A essays, and will be discussing some ideas with you later this week. It is a privilege to write these essays each day—thank you for reading, suggesting, and encouraging.