Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Now Is The Time

Time has a way of escaping us.

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. His brother and wife, my childhood best friend, celebrated their 24th. And this Saturday, we'll all gather to celebrate his parent's golden 50th wedding anniversary.

This post is not about the longevity of marriage. I've got another one on that later in the week.

But rather I've been meditating lately on the passage of time.

Time is our most precious commodity, the only one we truly have and the equalizer, in that we all have the same amount. Whether we use our time wisely is a matter of choice.

How often have you wanted more time to get more things done or to savor a moment? How frequently do you wonder where your time has gone? Do you allow time, the ticking of the hands of the clock, to rule your life, telling you what to do and when to do it?

There is chronological time, the passage of the seconds, minutes, and hours that make up the days, weeks, months, and years of our lives. It was it is, and we get what we get. No less and no more, no matter who you are, who you know, or what you have.

There are 566 references to time in the King James version of the Bible. Time is important to God, and therefore, should be important to us.

We're admonished in Scripture to make the most of our time.
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. -- Rom 13:11-12 NLT
What are you doing with your time? Are you using it to live a godly life, one that is pleasing to God in behavior and attitude? If you are, this is a good first step, but only a first step.

Because God wants more for us than simply a good life. He wants us to live a life that abounds in love and peace, in health and fullness, in favor and purpose.

Are you making the most of the opportunities God puts before you, taking the time to prepare yourself according to His will for your life and seizing the day when your moment arrives? Do you recognize your "God-cidence" when it happens--something totally unexpected, miraculous and inexplicable which could only be of God--and snatch it up, walking in God's unmerited blessings, or do you hesitate and shy away, for lack of preparation, lack of confidence, or lack of faith, unsure of what God wants or has for you and thereby unable to take hold of it?

Now is the time.

The time to hear God's whispers into your heart, the seed planting of dreams and visions for your life. The time to work hard, to prepare yourself for your purpose. The time to patiently await your "God-cidence", and the time, when it arrives, to walk right in with your head held high, not out of arrogance but out of recognition of God at work in your life.

Now is the time. Are you making the most of yours?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

3 comments:

Chicki Brown said...

It seems that in the past year I've become ultra sensitive to time. No matter what I do there never seems to be enough to do everything I want/need to get accomplished. I remember my mother saying that as you get older time seems to speed up. At the time I thought she was nuts, but now ...

When I think I might only have 25-35 years left, it freaks me out. There were so many things I wanted to do in my life, and it looks as if they just are going to happen.

PatriciaW said...

The important thing is to seize the day! I remember my parents telling me not to be in a hurry. I love them but I think they did me a disservice on some level. You should have a sense of urgency when it comes to reaching your goals, taking just enough time to prepare yourself and then launch, being willing to make mistakes and learn from them. I think that's why I so admire young entrepreneurs.

The wedding planner said...

you know God has a funny way of leading you. I have been praying seeking and asking to try to start my company and I found your blog through a friend. this serves as a confirmation to what I wrote on my blog this morning. Just keep moving and God will lead and catch you. thanks for your words. they really encourage me.