Man, Make Use of Your Life

By trade, lending and great effort a miser accumulated great wealth. He then decided he would spend one year enjoying his riches and after that he would think further about what to do with his future. But he had no sooner started enjoying his life of leisure and luxury when the angel of death appeared to take his life away.

He begged the angel of death – with every argument he could think of – for just a little time to enjoy what he had spent his whole life working for, but the angel was adamant that he leave now. Then he offered the angel half of all his wealth and possessions if he could have but two more days. Still the angel refused. Even for all his wealth the angel would not give him one more day.

So finally the miser asked him for enough time to write down one little thing, and the angel agreed. And the man wrote, with his own blood: “Man, make use of your life. I could not buy one hour for three hundred thousand dinars. Make sure that you realize the value of your time.”
_{Idries Shah, The Way of the Sufi}

We always try to give the time we have no use for to the Father. Once we are rejected by society, by our children or friends, then we want to devote our time to the Father. When we become old and our senses don’t go with us, our eyes refuse to co-operate, ears and limbs refuse to co-operate – then we want to worship the Father. We have to give the best time of our life to the Father.
_{Maharaj Charan Singh as quoted in Legacy of Love}