Redeeming the Time

Redeeming the Time. This was the theme for a ladies conference I attended in March.  Little did we know how much we needed this reminder in the coming days.  During the conference we had little WiFi, there was some talk of this virus going around the world, but for the most part we all unplugged and enjoyed the time with fellow Christians, time in the Word, and time in God's beautiful Creation.  

"Redeeming the time,  because the days are evil."  

Ephesian 5:16

Looking back I can't imagine a more perfect theme for the conference. When we all went home from this lovely weekend away our world as we knew it was different.  For many of us this was the last real fellowship we would have for months.  Who would ever have thought that the ENTIRE world would go into lockdown.  No sports activities, no coffee meet-ups,  no dinner at a restaurant, no church.  For those that said, "I just wish we had an extra day in the week"  or " I just wish I had more time at home, " well, you now have all the time in the world.  What are you doing with it?  Are you redeeming the time?  Are you making the most of it?

I feel as if God has given us a huge blessing, and I want to make the most of it.  Sure there are things to clean and declutter and Netflix to binge watch...but there are other important matters to tend to - our relationship with our family and with God.  I wish I could say when all this went down that that was my main focus.  Nope, I went into the cleaning and decluttering mode with a bit of Netflix and Facebook (ok, a lot) on the side.  Then I had a few days where I just didn't know what to do with myself (quarantine hangover maybe?) and I began to think of our conference and the theme - REDEEM THE TIME. I was not redeeming the time.  I was squandering it.  I felt incredibly guilty.  But no time to waste feeling guilty, I needed to ask for forgiveness and REDEEM THE TIME God had given me.  

I wanted to focus on two areas - my relationship with God and my relationship with my family.  It was time to put my phone down and truly redeem the time.  Sure there are still dishes to be done, laundry to be washed, folded, and put away, floors to vacuum, stuff to tidy, but more importantly there were/are souls in my home that needed tending.  Please know, I have not "arrived," I still have work to do, but I made the first step and am making a conscientious effort to love on my family more and be more intentional with my moments...to ahem, REDEEM THE TIME with my loved ones.  I will say I am so enjoying church at home on the lounge with my family.  I will probably miss this most when we start our "new"normal.  

The next area I am focusing on is my relationship with God.  Yes, a missionary/pastor's wife of many years still needs to work on their relationship with God.  This is an area that a Christian never comes to a point where they no longer need to work on it, you don't just arrive and are holy, it's a continual, daily habit we need to work on until the Lord calls us home.  My heart's desire that "I may know him" (Philippians 3:10).

How does this look?  How does one work on their relationship with God?  Well, the first thing is to study your Bible.  Not just read it, but to also study it.  Get in there, read, research, study.  Get to know God.  I recently read a book that has changed the way I read my Bible.  It's called, "Women of the Word, How to Study the Bible with both our Hearts and our Minds" by Jen Wilkin.  I don't often recommend books because every person is different and what may affect one person in one way will not affect another.  But this book truly helped me learn new ways to study the Bible and has inspired me to read and study the Bible more.  

Growing closer to there Lord also requires time spent in prayer.  Why is this such a hard area?  I've heard many messages and read many articles about prayer.  Because of that I'm convinced it's not just me that struggles in this area.  It's a struggle for many because it requires time and effort to pray.  Sounds silly, right?  We're just talking to God, why does that require effort?  Because we cannot see Him and because we are not as close to Him as we think we are.  It requires dedicated time.  Here are a few ways that have helped me stay focused in my prayer time.  

• I schedule a time.  It's like a date with just God and me.  I work hard at not missing this time and also not being late.
• I make a list.  I have an ongoing prayer list and I have a weekly list.  When it's written out I can be more focused.
• I remove distractions.  I try to find a place where I know I won't be interrupted.  This place changes daily.  Sometimes it's in my room, sometimes it's in the car on my way to the grocery store.  Wherever it is, I remove as many distractions as possible.

I'm sure you can add to this list, but I wanted to share how God has been working on my heart during this time.  Remember, none of this took God by surprise.  He knows the beginning, the middle, and the end.  He has a plan and purpose.  We simply need to trust Him and REDEEM THE TIME.

Just wanted to share this photo from a recent walk with my kids where we were 

REDEEMING THE TIME.