“Is our time well spent?”
“Time is what we want most, but we use worst,” is a quote I recently read that seems to capture the seesaw effect of being busy and being present. Juggling the ups and downs of day-to-day life can leave us zapped and tempted to disconnect, but being intentional with moments can keep our purpose in focus. Keeping perspective helps keep habits like mindless scrolling on social media in check when precious time has been given. I often say to my husband, “I never want our children to say we remember mom and dad staring at a phone a lot while growing up.” My husband and I have considered what messages we are impressing on our children’s hearts between the busyness of life and the cornerstones we are committed to building day to day.
-Integrity. Webster references ‘character’ as a synonym with integrity. I love both of those words. It’s more than being honest or showing good morals; it’s a commitment to the truth and for us, a commitment to The Lord’s way. There are so many opportunities throughout our day to exemplify integrity and reveal choices we can make. One day at the grocery store, amid a whirl of chaos with the gremlins, I forgot to scan the cases of water on the bottom of the buggy. We were halfway through the parking lot when I realized it and made the remark, “I forgot to scan the waters!” In that moment, I had a choice; keep rolling-no one even noticed or teach my children to do what’s right even when there are no consequences. My mind knew the grocery store worker didn’t know, but my heart knew God did. My heart desires to act in a manner that is true out of love for my Father. Revealing to my children why I turned around and went back in offered an opportunity for my children to see obedient honesty rooted in love and opened a deeper conversation for why we do what we do.
-Legacy. What legacy is your family building within your home? Will it be rooted in God’s Word? Psalms 86:11 provides a prayer for our family, “Teach us Your way, Lord, that we may rely on your faithfulness; give us an undivided heart, that we may fear your name.” We want to be led by The Lord’s hand and we choose to commit our decision making according to His Word. The fear we pray to keep is not rooted in anxiety or dread; it is grounded in knowing He is the author, and we honor His position. Our household has been walking a long road of uncertainty that brings a lot of ‘what ifs,’ but when we step back and remember our request to be taught, led and reliant on His faithfulness, we are confident in our Father’s plans. We have watched our children take note of our concerns, heard our questions and watched us turn to prayer for direction. In turn, our choice to follow our Father’s lead offers moments of building faith for them. How we, as believers handle life’s trials offers a front row seat to our faith to those around us.
Each day offers an opportunity to reveal what’s truly within our hearts with the moments given. Living a life with integrity and honoring our Father’s Word are just a few ways we can reveal our devotion to The Lord. It may be in the form of how you speak among your peers. Are you tempted to chime into their gossip or refrain and speak truth? Maybe The Lord is leading you to pray over a friend instead of saying you will. Perhaps you feel tempted to bring your actual Bible into a waiting area versus reading it on your phone; imagine the light it would shine on its own!
Let’s commit to spending our time wisely, making the most of our day-to-day moments. Take some time asking The Lord to strengthen your perspective. As God’s children we can rewrite that famous quote with, “Time is a gift from God and we will live with purpose for Him.”
