How Do You Spend Your Time?

Today is the day after an enormous storm system moved across the southeastern US and to this point, there have been close to 200 deaths reported from the tornadoes. It's been said by a popular weatherman (James Spann http://jamesspann.com/js/) that this was a once in a lifetime storm. The last time a storm system of this magnitude was recorded was sometime in the 1930s and it would not be likely that you would see another. The storm was very scary and very tragic and I'm certainly breathing a sigh of relief that it skipped the Albany/ Leesburg area.

With that said, I've noticed several deaths around me lately. I found out yesterday that someone I went to high school with and still spoke to committed suicide yesterday. The Albany Herald normally has a front page filled with people that were either killed or convicted of killing.

It's a bit surreal at times with all of this going on around me and I know it affects different people in different ways but what I was thinking on was what I would be doing at the time when I leave this earth. Would I be peacefully sleeping in my bed or screaming as I wreck my car? I prefer the first to the latter but its very unlikely that any of us would have a clue. I don't have any doubt in my mind what will occur after death. I don't have any doubt that I will stand in front of my creator.

I just read an article on http://www.fatcyclist.com/ about a guy that passed away while hiking in Hawaii. I didn't read into the details of his death but he certainly died in a beautiful place and it was not in bed. That got me thinking and my question is, if you knew what day and time you would die, would that change how you lived your life from the present until that pre-determined day? Would you do something daring and wild or would you spend every waking second with your family?

This is what I've been thinking about today. Beyond the fact that I claim God as my Yeshua and daily attempt to yield my life to His Will, I spend quite a bit of time in recreation- mountain biking, running, kayaking, camping, etc. The amount of time doing those things don't really compare with the amount of time I spend with my wife and 2 girls but they are things I enjoy doing. I am passionate about these activities because they offer excitement and they are things I did before getting married and having children.

In the end, we spend the time and do the things that we most want to do. If you have a balanced life, you spend some time with family and some time doing whatever your hobby is. When you fall out of your balance, there will be problems that arise.
On the one hand, I have this great family-

I love spending time with them and watching my girls grow up is a joy. On the other hand I've got these hobbies-

My hobbies keep me sane and let me blow off steam. I have to find and readjust my balance week by week.
And this is what I feel like-