TIME SURE FLIES…

But, it is not an excuse.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” ~ Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I played Candy Crush for five years. 

Yup. 

Five years. 

I do admit I loved it and how it made my mind turn off any worry or stress for those minutes, or hours each day of playing, and do not judge anyone who plays it. However, let me share why I personally was convicted to finally stopped playing cold turkey. 

Like the rest of us, I have goals. Many of these dreams have been deeply rooted in me since I was a child. In 2016, as I “crushed away” on my phone app some of my aspirations included to live in the present. Others at the time included wanting to start my blog again, to write and publish my poetry, to write and publish books, to make a difference according to God’s will for my life, to develop a deep connection with my husband and children, to be more in-tune with family and friend relationships, to become who God created me to be.

One night during that time as we were spending time together before bed, my son asked to play on my phone. Finding Candy Crush, he begged me to show him how to play. It was only for a few minutes that night but soon turned into a few minutes every night…

…a few minutes every night that took away from conversation and soon could turn into hours or even days of valuable time taken away. 

My husband challenged me, “You still play that game? Why don’t you delete it?”

I started my defensive comeback ...

~ It helped me work out in the morning (Yes I had been guilty at the time of being the one running on a treadmill crushing away!)

~ It helped me unwind.

~ It helped me destress.

~ It helped me AVOID.

Now, unwinding is one thing, but avoiding is another. I was avoiding my goals and dreams because stepping into them made me so extremely vulnerable. I mean acknowledging them, verbalizing them, stretching and reaching for them…

what happened if I failed. 

Stretch goals are not easy. They call us out of our comfort zones, but they will never be reached or even have the possibility of being reached, if we avoid them. 

God-given gifts and those dreams that are placed on our hearts that align with those gifts cannot be avoided. They must be prayed for and used to do good.

So 1,825 days later ... 

I deleted candy crush. 

While I could not get any of that past time back, I needed that time going forward... 

Prayer...

writing...

poetry...

close family and friends...

all help me unwind, destress, and focus. But they also help me stretch out for those dreams and give me the time to do so. And even though the house is messier than I would like, I pray my mind and heart stay aligned with God’s Word. It is in that time each morning with the Lord and in the Bible that I pray for steps and next steps, forgiveness and redirection. It is there I learn to trust more and that everything is working together for good. However, must make the time.

Time…

Time..

Time. 

It won’t slow down for us because we aren’t ready.

Time won’t drag its feet for us,

or pause, because we decide to use it for something unproductive like checking views on Instagram. (I’m calling only myself out here.) Earlier this year, I been corrected and humbled time and time again about this. God reminded me to be intentional with my time and then I get distracted by a battle with my IG reels. For example, months ago when…

~ I planned ahead. 

~ I went to post and..

~ The technology battled me. 

~ Then, it finally works and…

~ I check views and it says 0 

Then, I realized my account no longer showed view counts even if my insights did! I searched for answers. I read it may be a bug. After a week of it happening, updating the app and my phone seemed to help. However, I was convicted: So much time taken!

So for me it was deeper… 

It was a reminder about that gift of TIME. 

While this may be a very unpopular opinion according to the world, ultimately views and follows don’t matter. Instead, it is about WHO I turn my view to and Who I follow. 

My eyes are on the Lord.

Still, it is so hard sometimes to not get sucked in. But that does not take away or even dim its truth. 

But the good news is that every moment is the opportunity to turn it around. 

So while those reminders don’t feel pretty sometimes, I appreciate them getting and keeping me in check. 

TIME and TIME again. 

Right HERE and right NOW

The Art of a Messy House Right Here Right Now challenge:  What do you need to let go of? What prompts or dreams have you had your whole life that are not going away? Write them down. Pray about them. Even if they feel attainable and too large to achieve, remember this: every step counts. Break it down into small, realistic and attainable steps. The first step is often the hardest. However, it is always worth it to walk in obedience to where God is leading you.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” ‭‭(Colossians‬ ‭4:4-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Dear God,

You hold all authority and power and still You love me. Forgive my wandering eyes. Forgive my distracted mind. Thank You for your kind corrections. Thank You for loving me through it all. Holy Spirit help me stay focused on what matters most. Help me stay on track with the plans and purposes You have for my life. Lord, You are good. I pray today to walk aligned with You, making the most of this gift, the gift of time, the gift of my presence. I pray to make the most of every opportunity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.