It’s an announcement I hear every time I take a test at school.
Sometimes, those words make my heart race with urgency.
Other times, they bring a dull sense of boredom.
When I’m confident and eager to do well, five minutes feels unbearably short.
I worry my pen won’t keep up with my thoughts, afraid I’ll leave something unwritten.
My hands tremble, and cold sweat runs down my back.
But when I walk into an exam unprepared, I feel like giving up altogether.
I find myself staring at the clock, wishing time would pass more quickly,
wondering when those five minutes will finally be over.
“Only five minutes left.”
“At least five minutes left.”
The time is exactly the same, yet my heart experiences it in completely different ways.
That’s when I began to wonder:
How am I really treating the time God has given me in my life of faith?
Am I using it carefully, striving to bring Him joy?
Or am I letting my days slip by, telling myself, “I’ll try harder tomorrow”?
Five minutes before an exam ends, the teacher always reminds us,
“Anyone who’s asleep, wake up—and check your answers one last time.”
Once the final bell rings, nothing can be changed.
In the same way, the time we are given to store up blessings in our life of faith will not last forever.
Realizing this, I resolved that from today on, I will cherish every moment God allows me
and make a sincere effort to grow in faith—
so that each day becomes an opportunity to store up greater blessings.
