Time Intentional

The rain on my windshield mirrored the tears streaming down my face and the heaviness my heart was feeling. Driving home from a difficult day of work that once again reminded me how quickly the life of a family can be forever altered. My heart broke for the mother who lost her child in a blink of an eye; so young and so unexpectedly. Sympathy for the team of doctors and nurses who did all they knew to save her child’s life but were unsuccessful. Feelings of guilt and gratitude washing over me simultaneously because unlike that mother, I was driving home to see, hug, and cuddle my son. As I have said before, grief is HARD.

Medical scares, pandemics, tragedy, and death have a way of jolting us awake from our spiritual slumber. These are the things that remind us this life is short and time is a precious gift we too often squander. Sweet friend, you and I are not promised tomorrow, and neither are our loved ones. James 4:14 tells us, “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” This earth is temporary and so is our time here. As believers, we have the hope and promise of eternal life with Jesus but until that time comes we are to live in light of that eternity, investing our time in heavenly gain, not earthly.

The Lord has been reminding me lately that I am not designed to merely exist in my daily routine but to intentionally live for HIM each day that He grants me. Sweet friend, I want to be a faithful steward of the time God is giving me and I want the same for you. Lately, this word intentional has been like a southern fly persistently buzzing in my ear. This word also presents me with questions I must take time to reflect on. Am I being intentional with how I spend my time? Am I being intentional with how I am serving others, including my family? Am I being intentional in my witness and showing the love of Christ? Is my time all about me or is it a reflection of the God I serve?

To do something with intentionality is to do something purposefully and with forethought. This is not by chance, by accident, or an afterthought; its deliberate action of the heart and mind and a daily discipline I must commit to. It is not always easy but it is necessary. Sweet friend, Jesus’s life, and ministry give us the perfect example of how intentionality and faithfulness intertwine together in beautiful harmony. We are called to be intentional about practicing heart transforming, life-giving habits to shape every part of us. Ephesians 2:10b tells us we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Tony Evans once stated, “to miss a kingdom assignment because we’ve become too caught up in our personal kingdom is one of the greatest tragedies we could ever face.” So I ask you, sweet friend, are there priorities and relationships that need to be repaired in your life and placed back into its rightful place? If so I promise you are not alone, this has and is currently something I am having to be intentional, pun intended, in continuously bringing before the Lord. Surrendering our self-serving spirits in exchange for God-honoring hearts is necessary if we are going to be imitators of Christ. Jesus was never too busy or too hurried to stop and serve/love on others. He never lost sight of eternity and growing the Father’s kingdom and neither should we sweet friend.