If time could be bought on ebay

Pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts......NUTS!  That is what it has been this month....nuts!

I have to confess.....for many years, I sat and watched busy, rat race runners chase after their never ending to-do list.  I would shake my head and think to myself, "If they would just get their mind organized and focused on their priorities...'busy' isn't an excuse!"  

That was until I started working outside the home again....YIKES!!!  Boy, did I have to eat my words!

The housework piled up, laundry went for days, the yard was about to take over the house and every day my four-legged babies (my dogs) would look at me as if to say, "you are leaving us again??"  I missed three of my nephews' birthdays and my sister-in-laws too.  I didn't just drop the ball on so many things...I let the ball go flat!

And added to that....my Bible reading and study, that used to be a couple hours a day, came to a screetching hault....bigger YIKES! Which means that my writing and blogging stopped too.  I'll let you in on a secret...my blogging is inspired by what I am reading in the Bible...so more than likely, if I am not blogging, it means I am not reading...now you can keep me accountable!

Anyway, last week I started thinking about how to get a grip on my new schedule. The funny thing is at this new job, I don't work full time... I don't even have kids to factor into my routine. This time thing shouldn't be so hard. I know some of you super moms are thinking to yourself, "What a wimp!"  But it is true!

Back to getting a grip....I wanted to get a handle on my time. I didn't want my ministry, reVision, to come to a stand still. I believe more than ever that God has a message for me to share with the world and the devil would like nothing more than to distract me. 

As I was trying to walk through my weekly schedule and develop a routine that would keep me focused on studying and writing, I came across this quote....

"Counting the cost of our calling includes taking a realistic assessment of the discipline it requires."  OUCH!

But it is true!  When it comes to my time, what I wanted was to not have to sacrifice.  I didn't want to sacrifice my TV time, my lounge around the house and piddle around doing aimless tasks, I didn't want to give up my nap time...seriously....naps are from heaven I do believe!  But in reality, I needed to get serious about what sacrifices I needed to make if my calling was really that important to me.

Just think about the sacrifices the giants of the Bible made...I won't go into all that right now, but you can probably think of enough examples on your own to get my point.

This whole struggle with time and sacrifice brought another area to mind that has been choking and sputtering to gulp down some quality time....and that is my marriage.

It just so happens that this month of June will be my 14 year anniversary...hard to believe its been 14 years already...time flies, all the more reason to take a hard stance on the issue of time.

Somehow in the few seconds I have devoted to social media this month, I came across a group that is joining together to pray for husbands this entire month of June. I thought that was a fantastic idea and I clicked the "join" button. (more on that later). 

The fact of the matter is our choices drive our time.  Just tonight, I have turned off the TV and read my Bible, studied and journaled for a couple of hours. Now, a couple of hours won't be realistic come Tuesday morning when I have to be in the office at 6 a.m., but I can devote 20 minutes.

As Ferris Bueller said on his day off, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to enjoy it sometimes, it will pass you by."

It is tempting to dismiss the subject of "time"....let's face it, "time management" has been through the ringer and we are all sick of hearing about the latest gadget or tip that fails to deliver on the promise of more time.  But time is something that is so precious and valuable...don't believe me? Think its an outdated topic?

just ask the mom who is seconds from getting her epideral in the delivery room

or the soldier who is waiting for the plane to stop so he can see his family for the first time in a year

ask a young man in love who is waiting those few seconds between the question, "will you marry me?" and the answer he is hoping for

what about the minutes that seperated you from a terrible accident

time that seems to drag on at a snail's pace to the high school senior counting down the days to graduation

or, the parent who is seeing the time fly past and kindergarten graduation turns into high school graduation in a blink of an eye

ask an inmate who is watching time tick by, waiting for their freedom

and then ask them about the time they have lost while being separated from family and friends

the last moments a family spends together around the hospital bed of someone they love

the time a father will spend with his son while he is still the hero in that little boy's eyes

yes....time is valuable....unfortunately we can't bid for more of it on ebay.  But somehow, we can learn to be conscious of the things we can sacrifice inorder to spend our time in a way that creates a life of love and fulfillment...not just a full calendar and accomplishments.