Hello everyone! How are you? How has the first month of 2021 been? I know for some of you it’s been good and for others it’s been difficult. I know some of you are still struggling with the loss of a loved one. Please know I am praying for your comfort, healing, and strength during your grieving process. 

We’re already one month into 2021, and I am amazed by how fast time is moving. Each day, in my opinion, goes faster than the day prior. It reminds me of how fleeting our time on earth is. Psalm 39:4 says, “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is” (NLT).

I want to take a moment to ask a question. Are you using your time wisely? I know we all have commitments like work, relationships, raising our children, as well as outside activities, but outside of all your responsibilities, are you using the time God has given to you wisely? 

In a previous post I mentioned that in 2019, I lost someone I truly loved. She was someone I talked to or texted almost every day. I would call to pray, vent, laugh, or just have girl talk and sometimes endure a loving rebuke. I could just be myself around her. She was like a mom to me, which is what I called her. In February of 2019, I began dealing with some personal issues and I did not want to burden her with it, so I stopped calling her. It’s so silly when I think about it now, because she NEVER judged or looked at me differently when I shared my heart with her. During the time I didn’t call, she was on my mind heavily, but I still didn’t call. In July 2019, my very close friend called to tell me she was very sick, but truth was I already knew she was ill. To be honest, I didn’t want to face the fact that she actually was sick, nor face the thought of once again losing a woman of God I loved.

In September 2019, I went to visit her. We laughed, talked, and I layed my head on her lap and told her what she meant to me. I knew from that visit it would be my last time with her. Not too long after that she passed away. Although I knew it was coming, it hurt me in a way that I never expected. But what hurt me more than missing her presence, was all the things she wanted to do in her natural and spiritual life. There was so much she shared with me and I was hurt that she didn’t have the opportunity to accomplish her dreams. I couldn’t understand why God would take her home. I took my thoughts and prayers to God, and he didn’t give me an answer, but he did reaffirm that he is sovereign and reminded me in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”. 

Weeks before her passing, The Holy Spirit kept putting the word time in my spirit. At her memorial service, which took place about a month later, the subject of the message was “What are you doing with your time”? Can I tell you that message jolted me in a way that I will never forget?!! 

That word caused me reexamine my own life, and since that time, I’ve learned to value my time each day. It certainly doesn’t mean I’ve mastered managing my time completely, but I have become much more aware of how little time I have and how I should be using it. 

Time is the one thing we can never get back and it’s the one thing we all get the same amount of. Yet, I often think about how much time we’ve wasted, whether we realize it or not.  

So I ask you again? What are you doing with your time? Are you spending time in God’s presence? Are you seeking him about what you should be doing at this time?

Or are you wasting time on social media? Perhaps you’re wasting time being in a un-Godly relationship that should end. Are you wasting your time at a job you hate, because you’re too afraid to step out on faith and do what you love? Are you holding back on the ministry God has given you because of insecurities? Are you wasting time holding onto grudges or unforgiveness? 

I could keep writing, but this post doesn’t need to be any longer. I hope and pray you hear my heart and I encourage you to examine how you use your time. Tomorrow is not promised to ANY OF US.  

James 4:14-15 “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that. (NLT)”

Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to value the time you bless us with each day. Forgive us for not valuing the gift of time. As we can see from the perilous times we live in, it is important now more than ever to use our time wisely. Grant us the wisdom to make right choices that will align with your will for our lives and maximize our time to be a blessing to the Kingdom of God. Father, first and foremost, cause us to remember that the most important decision we can make when valuing our time is spending time in your presence. We ask this in Jesus name…Amen.

Love you all,
Darlene @HealedtoSpeak

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash