I recently googled the phrase “finding time.” Turns out I wasn’t the first one to do so as there were over 37 million references to that phrase returned from my initial query! For someone who makes there life living through online marketing, that is a lot of references.
When I was younger it seemed if time stood still and you couldn’t get through high school or college fast enough. I remember how I couldn’t wait to get my drivers license. I failed my first test and had to wait an entire week to try it again! Talk about an eternity and to a teenager it seemed if nothing else mattered and the world stood still.
Ten years of marriage and three children later, I hardly know what day it is each week they go by so fast. By the time things slow down from the day, I barely have enough time to have a good conversation with my wife and it’s time to go to bed … only to get up at 6am to do it all again.
Looking at the responses to “time” with different view points, either through the eyes of your youth or the glasses of your adulthood are both very normal, but it is how we respond to “time” in our life that defines us as human beings. More specifically in terms of our relationship with God, our response to time defines who we are as Christians and our level of committment to Him.
Time is the ultimate commodity for Christians! To God, time is irrelevant in terms of his Deity as He has always been and He always will be, but He will ultimately judge His flock based on how they used this commodity. Time is consistent and never stops. Time waits for no one and once that time is up, so are your chances for using it. Whether we use it for furthering God’s Kingdom or on our on personal pleasures on earth, it doesn’t change the fact that time has been given to us from God.
Here is where I finally get to my answer … I am sure you were waiting intently. As I get older, I have become more aware of the thought that I only have a certain amount of time in life. I know that is something that most people get much younger, but I have never been considered a fast learner. I have spent the vast majority of my time in the past 33 years doing whatever I wanted and where ever I wanted. It is has only been recently in the last year that I have considered the thought of “how do I spend my time?” As my children get older, I want them to see the that the most important things in life aren’t wrapped around people, sports, things, job, money, etc… As this thought permeated through my heart and mind, I immediately felt like a hypocrite, because those were the things that were important to me.
In my my mind I knew I had to make a “life altering adjustment.” In my heart I didn’t want to let go of all those things I liked to spend my time gaining or enjoying. It wasn’t till I my eyes actually saw a real life example of someone who really lived each day of her life as if it were her last. She spent the last two years of her life spending that time as efficiently as possible. I saw her take one day at a time through so many of lifes trials and cruelties. Even what I thought was a cruelty was to her another extenstion of God’s truly amazing grace. The more I saw her glorify God in the midst of what I considered unfairness, I hardened my heart against that commodity of time determined to find what I wanted in life on my own. Even to the end of her life I saw her continually impact hundreds and maybe thousands of people through the way she spent her time. When I saw her for the final time, I determined to spend my time like she did … with her focus on her faith, her family and her friends.
She truly had it right. While her time on earth was shorter than most, the way she used it to enhance her faith in God, show her love to her family and encourage her friends was “time well spent.”
It is my prayer that I spend the remainder of my time concentrating on what is truly important! Each day I want to say that my FAITH is stronger, my FAMILY is more loved and led toward Christ than the day before, and my network of FRIENDS are more encouraged each time I am around them.
I want to say thanks to Meredith Rankin who was that example to me of humility and grace during that trial that would eventually take her to heaven on April 22, 2008. I am not perfect, but because of Meredith real life Christian example it led me to do an self examination of “where I spent my time.” Through that challenge and Holy Spirit’s guidance, I am a better husband, a more loving and caring father, and friend to all who need one.
This blog hereby serves as my “public accountability” as to how I spend my time and how effectively I spend that time on things that matter for all eternity!
williamsbrian1
