Today’s guest post is from my new friend Annalisa, a pastor’s wife. I’m still getting to know her, but I can tell you this for certain: she has a heart for you, sweet girl, and wants to see you grow your faith in this modern day just as badly as I do. ❤️

——————————-

“Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep…” I reached my hand over to my bedside table to reach my phone, but quickly realized it was under my pillow instead.

That’s right… I’d put it there in the wee hours of the morning after an early morning scroll through Facebook.

The night before, I’d woken up around 2am and had nothing better to do, so had scrolled until I got dozy and fell asleep. But now it was 7AM. I reached under my pillow, picked up the beeping phone to turn off my alarm, and then went right to my Facebook app.

“Nope, nothing new. I guess I’ll just scroll…actually, let me check out some cooking videos, I always love those shows,” I thought. I love the little video clips that show you just a small portion of the show – MasterChef is my current favorite 🙂

There’s nothing like watching people cook under pressure! Clip after clip played on my screen…I was totally engaged and yet partially zoned out. I was tired from being up in the wee hours of the morning; and now I didn’t even want to get up and get going with my day. “Just one more episode,” I thought.

Then the doorbell rang. “What, really? Who would be at the doorbell so early. I’m not even dressed yet!”

I threw something on quickly and ran to the door. It was my neighbor, Lisa. She wanted to borrow some sugar. “Sure!” I said, quickly running to the kitchen, filling a small sandwich bag with sugar, and handing it over. I said goodbye, closed the door, and headed back to my bed. I picked up my phone – 9:00.

“Wow! How can it be 9 already? Where has the time gone?” 

Where has the time gone?

“Time is precious! Every day is a gift!” You’ve heard it time and time again and you know it’s true… but what is your sense of time, and do you really believe it’s precious? The here and now calls us – we spend time scrolling on our phones, texting people, browsing the internet, or checking Facebook or Instagram incessantly for “likes” or messages,… but before we know it, we’ve fallen asleep, missed a meal, or stayed up into the wee morning hours doing … what… browsing the internet and looking at cooking competitions?

Yes, but what’s wrong with that? Big deal, everyone does it. But wait – think about it.

Those few minutes become longer and longer and more and more frequent. Soon, that little “time waster” or “moment to relax” takes on the form of a habit that begins to steal more time from our lives than we may even realize.

In James 4:14, we’re told that our life is a “vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Throughout the Old and New testament, God talks about time and He reminds us that it is precious: but do we really live like time is precious?

What would it take for you to place a value on your time that is different than the value you place on it now?

How would you view time if you got a diagnosis of terminal cancer?

How would you view time if you were told one of your parents or siblings had a severe case of COVID, was on a ventilator, and might not make it through the night?

If it were me, my sense of time would suddenly stop. The things that once begged for my attention… the texts that drew me to respond immediately to them… the need to scroll through Facebook posts – everything would seem unimportant.

What changed? I would recognize time as a gift in that moment and begin to learn to treasure it. 

In Psalm 90:12, we find, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” and in Ephesians 5:15-16, we read, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

We don’t know what tomorrow holds.

None of us is guaranteed another minute on this earth; but our days are numbered. The Bible says they are!

So what should this mean for you and me?

Well, Psalm 90:12 says that knowing our days are numbered should cause us to apply our hearts to wisdom.

What do we need wisdom for? We need wisdom for how to use our time.

We are told in Ephesians 5 to walk “circumspectly.” That word means “accurately and diligently.” We are to live diligently – with purpose! I love how verse 16 goes on to say “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The word redeem means to take back something that is lost.

How often is it that we lose track of time? It’s SO easy to do! But our time does not belong to us: it’s a gift from God and we are merely the stewards of the time He has gifted us.

Where has the time gone?

As we look back on 2020 with 20/20 vision, let’s take a moment to look at our own hearts and lives and ask ourselves how we are using our time. Here are some questions that may help us as we reflect on these Scriptures and search our own hearts:

• Are the first minutes of my day spent with the world (in the wonderful world of Facebook, Instagram, …?) or are they spent with the One Who loved us so much that He gave His life for me on Calvary?
• When I look at my priorities, to what do I give the most time out of my day? Is my time being given to technology or to God? 
• Am I doing what I want to be doing right now or what GOD wants me to be doing right now? Am I redeeming the time?

Time is truly a gift from God! May we value this gift highly, using it wisely and investing in the people and the opportunities God has placed in our lives.

May we never squander it away, but instead may we value it highly and KNOW that we have spent our time wisely! 

And so I leave you with a challenge as we enter into the first month of a brand new year:

• No Bible, no browsing! (Give God the first moments of your day)
• Compare the number of hours you spend on technology to the number of hours you spend talking with people in your own home or church family, or friends? (Track your time)
• Identify one area in your life where you need to redeem lost time and make a plan with steps to make that redemption happen! (Plan your moments)

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –