Ticking Time

          Time. Time. Time.  Three times within the last week, the issue of time kept echoing around me.  I shared in my last blog about how I would be conscious and intentional about spending my time as my Lenten focus.  Last Sunday in the Church, our pastor's series of teaching was on simplifying our life and the topic for last week was on time.  One morning on the same week, in my devotional with my husband, it was the same message about the importance of time.

          I just want to share what I have learned and retained in my heart about the significance of this loaned commodity of time God has given us.  In three circumstances God used to speak to me and nudge me to slow down, refocus, reflect and rearrange my time, I will focus on three things I learned.

•       What would my schedule look like if God is in charge of it?  I've been mentored by a successful professional and entrepreneur and she shared with me a template of how she scheduled her time, her lifetime goals, her yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals, complete with a very detailed time management tool.  When I heard the message last week, and thought back on what I put in my time management template, was I really spending my time as what God wanted me to? Was I putting God's goals or my own agenda? I needed to pause, took a deep breath, and laid down my time in the hand of God and asked Him to order my steps every moment, every precious moment of my life. This reminded me of Psalm 119:133 which says: "Guide my steps as You promised; don't let any sin control me."  How does God guide His children?  Through time spent with Him, in prayer, in His Word.  "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33). 

How will I know if my activity is right, or wrong? Beneficial or plain wasteful?  These questions lead to the next lesson I learned, next question asked:

• "Who do I want to become?"  What is the dream, passion that God put in my heart?  How I spend my time will determine who I will become. If I want to be a great wife, I need to spend more time with my husband.  If I want to become a more engaged mom, I have to spend more time with my child.  I have to set my priorities based on what I want to become.  If I want to be a better writer, I have to carve more time writing and reading and nurturing the gifts that have been given to me.  I need to take a look at my list of to dos.  Are they things that just need to be done or are they essential to who I envision myself to be?  Where does God lead me to move forward?  or to become in the next season of my life? Am I investing my time towards that direction?

• NOW is the time.  Be present where I am.  Each day is a gift.  What this teaches me is that I have this day, today, right now, to give out love, to give my best, first to God, then to my neighbors.  Seize every moment! Seize the day!  I used to be very sensitive, insecure, self-centered, self-absorbed person.  I was so focused on myself that I easily get hurt and offended.  There were times spent in resentment and anger instead of love, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. As a result, I missed  to experience the fullness of God's gift of time during those days, those times.  I cannot turn them back.  They have slipped away.  I still struggle. I still wrestle. Every day. Every time.  But I am a work in progress.  I want my every moment count. Appreciate every person God sends my way.  Listen intently.  Give generously.  Speak sincerely.  I expect to pass through this way but once and I want to fulfill the assignment that God has entrusted to me using my time wisely. As Paul said in Acts 20:24 "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."  I want my time to count for the beautiful purpose for my life.

Time.  Time. Time...the ticking time.  It's a sound of music, to dance upon, to savor, to embrace as we use and consume it to be our best in our lifetime and for eternity.