How do I spend my time?

I've been thinking about time lately. I've heard people say through the years, "We are SO busy...we don't have any time for _______" (fill in the blank for what you are wishing you had time for.) As I've been thinking about it, however, I've decided that for the most part I think we MAKE time for what we want to make time for. Maybe our problem is more with the reasons we do the things we do.

Let me explain. The obvious example for me right now is Aaron. If every single one of my days was completely booked for the next two weeks and I got word today that Aaron was coming home tomorrow, you can bet things would get rearranged and I would be at that airport to see him when he lands. Furthermore, there would be a whole evening cleared to invite ALL our friends and family over for a HUGE celebration. Nothing would stop this from happening. It's very, very important to me. We make time for what's important to us.

On the other hand, what if we are driven to get people's approval? To always "do the right thing" so people will think highly of us? What if we fill our days with meetings, volunteering, counseling those who are hurting, giving people rides to where they need to go, etc. etc. etc. Those are great things to do if that's what's in your heart, if you're driven by love. But if you're doing it merely because you think it makes you a better person, it becomes about you, not them. You ignore the things that you know are important to you so you can continue doing these tasks that you're convinced make you a super Christian.... and bitterness is soon to follow. You resent the people you're helping for taking up your time, and you resent all the other "Christians" who aren't doing as much as you are for everyone.

Or, what if your reason is money? Let's face it, we need money to live. But there are a couple of things I want you to think about. First, how many of us work at jobs we don't like simply because we want more? We want nicer houses, cooler stuff, better vacations. And to get those things, we have to work hours and hours and hours doing something we hate. Or, what if we have to work those hours just to meet our basic needs, but instead of focusing on all the opportunities God may have for us to minister, we focus on getting it over with and collecting our money. If we work, most of us see people every single day. What an opportunity to listen to the Spirit of God to see if there's a difference we can make in someone's life. If only we could get the focus off ourselves.

Now, that's kind of easy for me to say right now because I'm finally in a position where I LOVE my job. But I've been there. I've been in those jobs where I struggle to keep a healthy focus, where I spend my time praying that something better will happen for me, rather than looking outward to see how I can touch others. And there are definitely things I wish I would have handled differently. But even now...in the job I love... there are opportunities for me to make a difference in the lives of others, OR I can choose to focus on myself and my own needs. I can always make my day about me. But if I do, I'm not successful in my business and I'm not successful in my Christian life.

Lest we begin to think this is a post encouraging everyone to stop whatever you're doing, let me quickly move on to what my real encouragement is. If you're feeling your days are being taken from you, if you find your time is spent doing things you really don't want to be doing, spend some much-needed alone time with the Holy Spirit. Find somewhere quiet, where your time is His alone. Let Him help you discover your purpose, your method, your niche so to speak. Let Him ignite the passion for whatever He created you for. He created you with a very special personality to use with special gifts and talents. Take the time to ask Him what He wants you to do. And even ask Him what you can be doing right where you are. Commit yourself to resisting all the distractions Satan would use to lure you away, and let life become about Him again.

I trust you'll find it's amazing how enjoyable time becomes.

Raise your hand if you enjoy the waiting....

We are waiting. Sometimes patiently and sometimes not so much....but waiting, nonetheless.

I would like to just put it out there right up front... I hate waiting. But in thinking back to some scriptural accounts of this particular issue, I discovered I'm in pretty good company. Even Abraham, who received top billing as a man of faith, didn't always shine in this area. Waiting is hard. It gives you too much time to question, too much time to wonder if you really heard from God. And  too much time to try to figure out a workable solution on your own.

But thank God. He doesn't let go of us. He continues to comfort. He continues to build, to be faithful, to reveal. Through this process, as I surrendered my heart to His loving hands, I have found a deeper faith. I have discovered at a whole new level what it is to hope in things unseen. And I have had profound revelation of how huge and capable He really is.... capable of taking care of everything in the universe no matter how large or how small.

Most importantly of all, and the glue that really holds it all together for me, He has reminded me of His love. The deep, intimate, unconditional love.

I placed a link below to a song that has lifted my spirits many times as I wait. I still hate waiting. But I love and appreciate so much the things I gain from it. While I'm waiting, I will worship.
While I'm Waiting....

Slaves obey your masters.....

I Peter 2:18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect.* Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.


Has this particular passage ever bothered anyone else? Is Peter saying God condones slavery??? Certainly that can't be right....
 
I have always been aware that a lot of things happen in the world that aren't right. And as I have seen my daughter, son-in-law, and their small children go through this horrible time of separation because of politics.... it's become just one more injustice added to my list. I see every day the effect it has on my daughter, trying to take care of two small children while she is due to deliver a third in just two short weeks. And she does it all the while trying to deal with the pain of having her husband ripped away from her. It's a lot to deal with. But yesterday, she unknowingly said something that ministered deeply to me. She had been reading a book on slavery here in the U.S., and all that those people suffered. She said, "Even if Aaron and I don't get to be together for another year, as painful as that would be, it wouldn't be as bad as what they had to go through." Now, I'm never one for comparing pain. Pain is pain, and I think you get into trouble when you try to measure one person's suffering with another's. But she was right. The things those people suffered were terrible...and it lasted a long, long time.
 
Which brings me back to the verse. Slaves are instructed to obey their masters. That always bothered me. I always felt it should read, "Masters, free those slaves! You have no right to hold another man captive!" Why would God condone slavery?
 
However, after my conversation with Rachel, something dawned on me that I have never considered before. What if this is really one of the most powerful, life-changing verses in the entire Bible? In fact, that's exactly what it was for me at that moment. It was no longer a verse about slavery. It was about integrity.
 
"No matter what happens to you...no matter where you find yourself in life....no matter how unfair or unjust it may be, still choose to do the right thing. Carry yourself with honor."
 
What is happening to Rachel and Aaron, and especially to their children right now, seems very unjust. You don't rip families apart to prove a point. You don't deprive children of their father and a wife of her husband on purpose. You don't deny a loving husband and father the opportunity to provide for his family. And you don't force a mother to give birth to her child without her husband by her side, just because of a hot political climate.
 
But through it all, Rachel and Aaron have continued to do the right thing. They have continued to follow the rules. They have held their heads high and walked in integrity.
 
Because they know. They know who really holds their future in His hands.