The month of August often marks the passage of time for me.  Among some birthdays, the school year starting up again, and summer winding down I am reminded that life is cyclical, short, and precious. 

In line with these feelings, a longtime friend of mine reached out recently in a pocket of grief over all the hopes that will never be this side of heaven.  There are loved ones who died too soon, dreams that time has marched past, and choices we cannot undo. 

And yet, there is still love in the bank, love that is ours to spend while we are here. 

At times we might feel like we have ended up somewhere we weren’t supposed to be… maybe it’s in a lackluster job, or dealing with a difficult relationship, or void of some blessing we always counted on having like children, a comfortable home, good health, or a special companion. 

We can feel limited by our responsibilities and commitments, tangled up in all that has brought us to where we are with no easy course correction.  It is here we can be tempted to look at our daily use of energy as a waste. 

But still, there is love in the bank, love that is ours to spend while we are here. 

And what if all that has led us to this point in time is actually the training ground for how we are to spend the love we have? 

What if we took that love and with an intentional focus made deposits into our messy lives just as they are?  What if we concentrated on growing that love by investing it in people, projects, and areas of great potential?  What if we allocated one bit of that love today toward something life-giving, something that would remind us of Love’s regenerative power? 

Can we get excited about spending our love this way?  Can we trust that, even if it doesn’t look the way we expected it to look, we still have something very worthwhile to offer? 

Perhaps this is what destiny is all about. 

How will you spend your love? 

May you be inspired!