Something that God has really been laying on my heart lately is the importance of time. We have so much of it yet so it seems like we are always asking for more, at least I know I am. I wish there were more hours in the day. If could have just a few more days to do this, or even, just a few more minutes of that. These are all things I find myself wishing for, asking for, and wanting. There is so much time. There are 24 hours each day that we have been entrusted with by the Almighty Himself. And still there is so much time I have wasted. Ouch…. wasted is such an ugly word, and it hurts because it hits home.
I went to the Celebration Center last Sunday. I used to attend this church regularly in college. It's a little far from home now so I do not go every Sunday, but I felt God calling me to go there this past weekend. So I went. And would you like to take a guess on what the message was all about? You got it! That's right, it was about time. The Pastor started off by sharing a passage from Ephesians with us.
"Be careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:15-17
This passage got me asking myself very quickly, Do I make the most of EVERY opportunity? To answer bluntly, no I do not. There are times when I am lazy, tired, "too busy" to bother with every opportunity. And those are just excuses really. After all, I should be "making the most of EVERY opportunity." So why wasn't I? As I slowly chewed on what the passage said, the Pastor continued speaking. He said that it was not about having ENOUGH time, but about MAKING time for the things that matter, and I mean the things that REALLY matter. He reminded us not to get caught up in the things that don't matter. The things that don't matter won't be here in the end. Why should we concern ourselves with them now then? He said that if we aren't careful with time, we waste it.
As the Spirit started to move in me, God told me to pay attention. This was a lesson I needed to hear. He had brought me to the Celebration Center that Sunday morning for this purpose. The next words out of the Pastor's mouth were ORGANIZE and PRIORITIZE. I love to organize things. Prioritizing however, has never been my strong point.
As the Pastor spoke on organizing, he mentioned how important it is as Christians to set goals for our life. Not just goals that we want to accomplish for ourselves, but goals that line up with the plans God has for our lives. Now, since I have accepted the position on this race, I have seen other team mates of mine making fundraising goals of their own and achieving them. (Praise God!) Myself, however, have not set any goals other than the deadlines that we have been given. I had kind of just told myself, Ok, God's got this. Whatever I get blessed with will come in His way, in His timing. I will be thankful and watch Him work. Now this is totally true, any money I raise WILL come in God's way and in God's time. However, it is important that I set goals during this fundraising process.
"Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air." 1 Corinthians 9:26
God showed me how important it is to have goals to go along with having the faith in Him to provide for those goals. Setting goals means taking risks. And I want to take risks. I don't want to be "safe" all the time. And with having goals set, it helps push me towards meeting those goals. It makes me more accountable for those goals.
Prioritize really stuck me. It's not something I do well. In fact, I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator and a hypocrite. But prioritizing is something that God is showing me I really need to do. I spend so much of my time watching tv, or on facebook, or browsing the web when I really could be using that time to get to know Him better. I need to get better at tuning the world out so that I can hear God's voice, so that I can spend time with Him and learn more from Him. Media has me so distracted lately. And again, this is an excuse. I have that desire to do the things I know I need to do with my time, but my body seems weaker than my spirit and I end up falling into laziness and procrastination once more. But I will not tolerate it for another moment! God has called me to great things. He has a plan and a purpose for my life. And He is teaching me a VERY important lesson right now on time. I need to organize and prioritize my life. Time is so valuable. I only have so much of it, Am I making the most of every opportunity?
And so tomorrow starts a new me. I will be taking a few days to reflect on this message. I will be organizing my life, setting goals, and I will prioritize my time. How that will look, I am not quite sure yet. But if you could pray for me, I would appreciate it. Pray that I would be filled with energy, that I would be still and listen to what God is saying. And that I would have the focus to follow through and set those goals and make the changes that I need. It is time I stop being lazy and help organize my time a little better. Thank you friends!
With love in Christ. <3
