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I walked into Brad’s dorm room and found him sitting on the floor next to his roommate, a plastic gallon jug in his hands, half-filled with a dark liquid. The look in their eyes hinted at trouble, but I was just a starry-eyed freshman.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?”

Brad’s roommate shook his head. “Brad hasn’t been able to go to the bathroom in two weeks.”

Brad raised the jug. “Prune juice. Doesn’t seem to be helping.”

I thought they might be pulling my leg. I said a few useless words, then backed out of the room. That’s the last time I saw Brad for over a year. That night, our school president met with our wing to inform us that Brad had a rare form of cancer that typically only affects children. His roommate sat in a corner, bawling.

The only other time I saw Brad was when he returned to campus the following year to speak during chapel. I remember his words to this day. A few months later, he was gone.

Brad had been the most genuine Christian I ever knew, and he needed my support at that moment. My lack of attentiveness that day still haunts me. If only I’d sat with them, talked through it with them, encouraged them. If only…

What does it mean to wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:5-6 NIV)? Watchmen don’t spend their time staring into the fire. They’re always on the lookout. Completely attentive to their surroundings. That’s how we should spend the time God grants us.

Time is a gift. God granted less of it to Brad than to me. But beyond using our gift of time wisely, God wants us to be attentive to Him and those around us—as with Brad and his roommate that day in his dorm room.

Don’t just bide your time, being generally obedient but missing the opportunities God places before you. Perhaps you could start today with a word of encouragement to someone deeper than a simple “How are you?”