A View from the Pew: How Would You Spend $86,400?

Imagine this for a moment. You’ve got a rich benefactor — maybe a long-lost uncle, or that grandmother who always slipped you a little something extra in your hand on the way out the door. One day you find out they left you an inheritance:
$86,400 deposited into your account every single morning.

That’s right — every day you wake up, you’ve got a fresh deposit waiting. But there’s a catch: you have to spend it all before midnight. No rollovers.
No refunds. No hiding it in a coffee can behind the frozen peas. You can’t slip it in that “rainy day” account you share with your sister so your spouse don’t find out. (Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about!)

You’ve got to spend every cent before the clock strikes twelve.

Now be honest — do you think you could handle that? Most of us could. In fact, we’d probably turn it into an Olympic sport. But here’s the thing: none of us have a rich uncle cutting checks like that.

But we do have a Benefactor. And His name is God.

Every single morning, before you even open your eyes, He deposits 86,400 seconds into your account of life. That’s twenty-four hours — brand new, straight from Heaven’s treasury — with your name on it.

And just like with that imaginary money, the same rules apply: You can’t save them. You can’t transfer them. You can’t borrow from tomorrow.
You only get one day — one deposit — one chance to make it count.

Once the clock strikes midnight, that account closes. No rollover blessings. No carryover grace.

So the real question isn’t how much you have — it’s what are you doing with what God gave you?

You and I get the same twenty-four. Nobody in here gets 27 hours, and nobody gets shorted at 18. God is fair that way. Every morning, He hands you a brand-new bag of seconds and says, “Let’s see what you’ll do with this one.”

Some folks spend those seconds fussing, fighting, and scrolling through other people’s blessings. Others invest theirs building, loving, forgiving, and serving.

Which one are you?

There’s an old poem that hits home every time I hear it: “I only have a minute, Sixty seconds in it. Forced upon me, can’t refuse it, Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it. But it’s up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it, Give account if I abuse it. Just a tiny little minute — But eternity is in it.”

Eternity… inside of one minute. Think about that.

Every second you spend — how you speak to people, how you treat yourself, how you forgive, how you love — it all adds up to the story of your life.

So I have to ask you: when your time runs out, what will your minutes say about you? Will people only remember that you lived? Or will your life keep speaking long after you’re gone?

To outlive your life means your kindness keeps moving. Your faith keeps inspiring. Your words still echo. Your love still teaches. It means you lived not just for time — but for eternity.

Because when it’s all said and done, most folks live and die and never stop to ask, “Why am I here?”

They exist but never invest. They breathe but never build. They have moments but never make memories.

So here’s my challenge to you: This week, look at your day like it’s money you can’t get back. Every second is a dollar bill. Every hour is an opportunity. Every minute is a moment that can change somebody’s life — maybe even your own.

Don’t waste it on worry. Don’t spend it on nonsense. Use it on purpose, with purpose.

Because one day, your heartbeat will stop — but your impact doesn’t have to.

Don’t just live your life. Outlive it.

And the next time you catch yourself saying, “I don’t have time,” remember — you do. God gives you 86,400 chances every single day to prove it.