Time is an incredible asset, perhaps one of the most valuable in the world. One doesn’t really get gifted time as one might be gifted possessions or money. We must learn to take the time we have and make the most of it.
How can we be sure that we use this gift well? In what ways should we guard against squandering it and really lean in to making the most of it? Time is special in that it is always ticking away, always being spent. Aside from one or two exceptions in the Bible, time doesn’t return to us. Once passed, it is in the past.
A Precious Commodity
So how can we make the most of this precious commodity? How we spend our time is vitally important.
Interestingly, I believe we spend a lot of our time in life waiting. As youngsters we are waiting for the afternoon so we can go out and play, waiting for summer so we can go swimming, waiting for New Years Eve so we can stay up until midnight. There’s always something on the horizon to look forward to and we just can’t wait for it to come!
Fast forward twenty or so years and I find that time is still such a curiosity. Typically I’m racing the clock to get my work done during the day so that come time to go I can be happy with the days accomplishment. Not that I’m literally racing the clock, but rather I use it to motivate me to stay on task.
Waiting Well
As we all know, there are different seasons in life. Perhaps your season is graduating high school or college, being single, working your way to the job you want, starting a family, etc. Each and every season requires waiting.
But waiting is kind of a phenomenon in that it feels like you personally have so much waiting to do, but others around you don’t. Your friends are where they want to be, there life is lined up and they’ve got their plans well in hand.
The truth of the matter is, every person goes through seasons and every person has seasons of waiting. Some just wait better than others. So how can we tap in to this special patience and learn to wait well?
I was asked that recently by a friend. She asked how I handled waiting while I was single. This question was interesting to me in that the answer is the same even now in a relationship, because there is waiting here as well.
Lean In
I told her the best way I know to wait is to lean in to what’s right in front of you. Definitely have a goal or a vision for what’s ahead, keep it in prayer but leave it in God’s hands and focus on where He has you right now.
If you have inventory to unbox, do that. If you have documents to write, do that. And really focus on the task at hand. Don’t do it absentmindedly while your mind wanders. No, keep your mind alert and present in what’s right in front of you. Be intentional with your thoughts and focus on your tasks. Your performance will be better and you will truly enjoy your life more!
I am convinced the better we appreciate where we are and lean in to what God has for us to do, the more delightful and fulfilling seeing our dreams come to pass will be! And I’m not saying that it is easy, but I firmly believe that when we spend our time well and focus on what is right in front of us that we have the opportunity to represent God well!
Victory
I heard something obvious and yet so inspiring recently. It went something along the lines of, When you ask God for something He wants to do, He will do it!
How can we apply that to our prayers? Probably many of us learned long ago to ask that His will not ours be done and I think this is vital to keep in mind. But what if we took that one step further? What if we asked Him to make His plans our desires? What if we asked Him to direct our hearts for what He has for us? When we get in agreement with God we will have a peace like none other!
May God bless you with a new appreciation for the plans He has for you. As you lean in to where He has you may you find a peace that fuels and encourages you! Learn to delight in where you are and that joy-filled peace will follow!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Keep reading: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2020/09/30/the-girl-next-door/