a TIMEly Message

Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days O Lord, that we may apply our hearts with wisdom”

The narrative of life: I wish I just had more time. We often make excuses that we do not have enough time to volunteer…to make that phone call to a parent or friend… More time with a person….more time to finish a job…or simply more time in the day. It’s funny how we make demands on something that just simply isn’t guaranteed. Sure there is the standard 60 seconds in a minute…60 minutes in an hour…24 hours in a day, but we may not be guaranteed to cash in on all of those seconds…minutes…hours. Suppose you have 86,400 pennies deposited in your bank account every day ($864 total). The only catch is that you have to spend it all before the day ends or you will lose whatever you haven’t used. How would you spend that money? You’d probably think long and hard about how to spend it…perhaps make lists...spreadsheets… Yes, you’d think long and hard, and likely be so excited about all of the possibilities and opportunities. Now translate pennies to seconds. Unfortunately, we have taken for granted…or become desensitized to… the fragility of life.

We have time for what we CHOOSE to have time for. What matters most? We consistently and mindlessly spend time on what doesn’t matter. Don’t believe me? Here are three culprits to prove this point: • Social media: average person on social media 706 hours per year…younger people, college students, are above average. For perspective, that is roughly that is 4.5 months of working hours (based on the 8 hour work day). • How about Television? Ah the convenience of Netflix queuing up the next episode without your prompt. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube. • This next statistic is targeted towards young men who play video games. Are you ready for this, the average young man, by the age of 21, spends 10,000 hours on video games.

List the top ten activities of your week, and rank them, from the most important one to the least important, in order. The 80/20 Principle teaches us that with the right priorities, the top 20% of your activities gives you 80% of the results you desire. Start living by this set of priorities. Does this sound too strict? You must learn to value your time. To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed his final exam. • To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who just gave birth to a premature baby. • To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. • To realize the value of one day, ask the daily laborer who has ten kids to feed. • To realize the value of one hour, ask a boyfriend and a girlfriend who are waiting to meet. • To realize the value of one minute, ask the person who just missed their flight. • To realize the value of one second, ask the person who survived a car accident. • To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who has won a gold medal.

I don’t know about you, but I get my weekly screen time report from my phone and it makes me sick. My screen is making me scream!! I see it as time lost…as moments lost…memories lost. Have you ever had a moment where your body just became hypersensitive to your surroundings? Where sounds, smells, and colors are heightened? After you’re done reading this, step outside and take a minute to absorb everything. We live in such a beautiful area. We are so fortunate. With fall coming right around the corner, it screams for our attention. Stop. Look up. Watch other people interacting with each other. Watch the crazy squirrels hop around campus. Observe a leaf fluttering down from a tree. Hear the birds. Life. Is. Beautiful. Choose to see the beauty. Everyone gets the same amount of time each day…and everyone uses it differently. Some people recognize this and have learned to manage their time wisely and make the best of it. In the New Testament, I LOVE that time is described through the use of two words: “Kairos” which equates to opportunity and “Kronos” which equates to the clock measurement of time. "Kairos" (used 86 times in the New Testament) refers to an opportune time, a "moment" or a "season" such as "harvest time," whereas "chronos" or “Kronos” (used 54 times) refers to a specific amount of time, such as a day or an hour (e.g. Acts 13:18 and 27:9) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos). The Bible is incredibly amazing in how it is layered with meaning and imagery. Every name or word has a specific purpose or place. It is no surprise to me that Kairos is mentioned way more than Kronos. I also love the imagery attached to Kairos—a harvest, a season. Growth comes to mind when you think about harvest…seasons…It holds much more weight. In our world today, we have been programed to see “Kronos”. What if we adopt a “Kairos,” opportunity, mindset? Making the most of what we have. Putting our phones down when we are sitting with each other. Taking the moments to ask our grandparents…parents…to tell us memories of their childhood. To listen to a friend or stranger and learn from them and their stories. One thing I can promise, is that you can and will always learn something from another person. Yes. That’s right. We all have valuable nuggets of wisdom inside each and every one of us that will enlighten another person. Sometimes the best way to spend time is by simply being present. Busy-ness is not the goal in life. Activity does not equal accomplishment. I am not suggesting to not do work, but what I am suggesting is to be present in the work that you are doing. Be mindful. Ephesians 5:15-16 Therefore, be careful how you live, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” As a Christian, I truly believe that our world’s days are numbered. I definitely know my days are numbered-haha! But I do believe the Lord is coming back soon! Mark 13:23-33 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” Sure there are events that still need to unfold as told in the bible for Christ’s return, but those can unfold very quickly and very soon. The framework is certainly laid for it. I don’t know about you, but I have felt this urgency. My heart aches for the lost and I feel like I desperately need to be doing more for the Kingdom! My prayer for every day is that God uses me for that very reason. I have a heart for the lost and ache for wisdom and discernment as to how to share the gospel and grow The Kingdom…especially working with young people. There is a lot of confusion and misguiding going on in the world. Blurred lines. What our culture says love is. What our culture praises. There is so much pain and hurt going on and it comes from the God Shaped hole in everyone’s life. So many people are lost! I actually get really depressed when I think about it. It almost suffocates and paralyzes me. I want to do everything and feel absolutely overwhelmed at the same time. Anyone else feel this way?! I understand that it is not my job to save the lost…in fact, I have no power to do that, only Christ can…but what I can do is be a vessel for God to use. This year I have felt urgency in wanting to find ways to be a vessel. Sometimes I get distracted in the, “what can I do” and the “doing” that I miss the opportunity to spend TIME with God. That is all that He desires. I need to spend more time with Him, and in so doing, I will be more sensitive to seeing the opportunities that He is giving me to be a vessel. The more you know The Father, the more you will know His will for you! I am glad I have this urgency and a heart for the lost…I pray that all of my brothers and sisters in Christ feel that. But I also want us (and me!!!) to have an urgency in spending time with God our father. Just as we long to spend time with family, friends, or even loved ones lost, The Creator of the Universe longs to spend time with you! That is mind blowing to me. What a good God we have! Spending time with God is an investment. Remember those 86,400 pennies (seconds)? When you spend those with God your return on investment will blow your mind! Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” I assure you that if you prioritize your faith first, you learn to prioritize other things and will be blessed. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I see it in my life…we all have those moments when we are on fire for the Lord and everything is amazing even if circumstances are not. You just feel different! Those are the times when we are seeking after Him whole heartedly. Then there are the times when the fire dims…and life sort of seems to suck you in. And suddenly worry strikes our hearts. Distractions get in the way and we lose our focus.