Climbing into the Jeep on my way to West Jackson one recent Sunday morning, my eyes glanced across the dashboard as I placed the car in gear and took notice of the Odometer Reading, probably because it was a nice, even, rounded-off number: 14, 200. I like nice, even numbers; so much so, I almost dreaded reversing out of the garage because I knew it would alter my nice, even number. (You should witness the scene when my step pedometer gets close to an even thousands mark!) What’s a few more steps around the bedroom before going to sleep?

Once the dreaded moment passed, I drove on to church, made a stop for groceries, then picked up lunch at a drive thru. Upon return arrival back to my home after, I was curious at what information the Odometer Reading might provide about my errands, after all, it’s not as if I regularly take note of the mileage before leaving each day. Three errands and I had amassed a walloping four miles round trip. It’s almost become a humorous challenge to pay attention to the odometer because so much of my daily world is so close in proximity – work, church, home, and shopping—all without leaving a three-mile radius. Other than a road trip to visit friends and family who live a few hours away, my daily commute is in a rather small portion of North Jackson. By the time I fill up the rather large gas tank in the Jeep, it might be another six weeks before I return to the pump! The cumulative effect of a short commute manifests itself so clearly in something as simple as the Odometer Reading.

Now, I know there are some people who must carefully watch the Odometer Reading on their vehicle so that they are aware of just how many more miles they can squeeze out of those gas fumes, right, Mom? But today, I ask that we consider another situation where the understanding of remaining mileage might come into play and pose this question: How many miles do you have left remaining on your human body? How many more moments do you have on this earth before your Odometer Reading clicks over for the final time? And how do you plan to invest that mileage?

These questions were brought to mind the morning following this Odometer Reading moment in the garage as I listened to pastor Levi Lusko humbly and authentically share of times in his life when he asks himself these big questions of purpose and meaning in life. After another You, Too? moment, I realized that even the most devout Christ followers desire reassurance that the current life they are living is in alignment with their God-designed purpose, no matter how far they are in their journey and how much mileage they’ve accumulated in the process. I tend to focus on guiding Emerging Adults through discovering their life calling, but we all, at various Seasons of Life, must re-address our motivations and purpose if we truly desire to live an abundant and flourishing life.

Because we don’t have an exact expiration date stamped on our forehead, and we are unaware of what the Odometer Reading will be when we take our last breath, it’s vital that we live each moment with an eternal perspective in mind. For me, I believe this eternal perspective might look something more like Taking It Slow, seeking an Unhurried Life, that embraces the Ordinary Times, and relishing the relationships available to us on any given day. In his book entitled The Reflective Life, Ken Gire shares, “Each new morning that God’s mercies dawn on us with the gift of another day, we should greet that day with an attitude of expectant reverence, as one kneeling to receive the sacrament of some holy communion, for truly it is…Much of what is sacred is hidden in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives. To see something of the sacred in those moments takes slowing down so we can live our lives more reflectively.”

Pausing to reflect on this topic, I ask all of us to consider how God might desire to use each and every one of us in the moments remaining on our Odometer Reading. Is there something you have been hesitant to do? Please feel free to share in the comments below.

References:

Gire, K. (1998).  The reflective life: Becoming more spiritually sensitive to the everyday moments of life. Chariot Victor Publishing.

Lusko, L. & Lusko, J. (2022, February 27). “One For the Road.” [Audio podcast]. Fresh Life Church. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEDTOVB1Xes