time.

Time. Something we all have, yet so often it seems we just never have enough of it. 24 hours in a day and we fill it up to the max, scrambling around this great big world - stressed, hurried, and overwhelmed. I am certain this is not the way life is intended to be lived. We have our priorities mixed up and it is not that we do not get ENOUGH time, but rather that we choose to spend our time on some of the wrong things. If we all would stop this crazy cycle and spend some time on some very simple things that matter, I think we would begin to see things differently. I think we would be able to see what really matters. We would be able to prioritize better. I think life would begin to SLOW DOWN. We need that, don't we? I know I do! To slow down. Spend time on things that matter.

​You might be thinking... What does that look like? Well, I am sure it plays out a little differently for everyone, yet I can almost guarantee that the principles are the same for all of us. After all, we are all human beings, made in the image of God (no matter how much we deny it, the truth remains - we are made in the very image of the God who created us). And what is God? Well, the Bible tells us in 1John 4:8, "...GOD IS LOVE." Ok, so what does love look like? Well, love showed itself very real, very raw, on the cross over 2000 years ago, when Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, took our sin upon Himself, and paid the price so that YOU AND I could spend eternity in His Kingdom. That is LOVE.

So, what are some things that we can take away from what we see LOVE IS? Well, love is sacrificial. Love is giving. Love is costly. Love is intentional. You see, this world around us - it is broken. Sin has crept in this world, leaving the world around us, and all of its inhabitants, BROKEN. Yet, not broken without a HOPE. We have a sure and secure hope in Jesus Christ, and once He has redeemed our life, and we are born again in Him, we are flipped right side up, in an upside-down broken world. We are given new life. We are given the gift of LOVE. Love flows into us from Jesus Christ, yet does that love flow out from us into this broken world around us? I have been especially convicted as of late that I need to spend more time LOVING. I need to be giving of myself more. With recent circumstances in our family, with the loss of my Mom, it is easy to retreat into my own world of hurt and not pay attention to the world around me. That is the lie of Satan. The truth of God tells me, the true way to heal is by LOVE. And love is sacrificial. Love gives. Love is going to cost me something (and I do not mean only a monetary cost). Love is me choosing to be INTENTIONAL.

We have a long-time family friend, Mary, whom we met through my younger brother about 15 years ago, mowing the lawns for neighbors on our street. This is the blessing by which we all met Mary. And Mary is one of the SWEETEST women you will EVER meet. Her smile is contagious. Her kindness is beautiful. Her love for the Lord to be admired. Mary now calls a local nursing home her home. A few weeks ago, I went to see Mary for the first time in quite a while. When we spent time talking to her, holding her hand, hugging her, praying with her, it hit me... What are you doing? Racing around this world like a chicken without a head. Stop it! THIS IS THE STUFF THAT COUNTS! This. A simple smile. Holding her hand. Watching the absolute JOY that flooded her face when she saw us. Priceless. Yet COSTLY. See, intentionally spending time on things like this requires us to say NO to other pressing things. Each thing in our lives deserves some time, yet sometimes we give ALL our time to one thing and neglect the simple things. We fail to notice those around us that NEED us, just because we are flying through this life SO FAST. We do not stop and smile. We do not stop and truly move past the shallow "how are you?" questions of the day, and really ask, "how are you doing?", "how is your heart?", "what can I help you with?", "what can I enjoy with you?", "what can I pray with you about?" We get so busy that it causes us to turn inward and ONLY see our problems, our endless “to-do lists”, and we fail to see the ENDLESS opportunities to SACRIFICE, to GIVE, to intentionally LOVE OTHERS. 

Friends, this world NEEDS LOVE. This world needs our TIME. Simple time. Time spent serving. Time spent just listening and talking. Time spent out of this rat-race of status, more stuff, and endless (NEEDLESS) stress. Time. A free gift we can ALL give FREELY. So, stop a moment. Slow down. Untie your racing shoes. Sit for a while, hold someone’s hand, SMILE at them, and give your TIME.