At night when you lay your head on the pillow do you quickly fall asleep or does it take a bit of tossing and turning before that goal can be accomplished? Is it a restful or peaceful sleep, or rather is it an uncomfortable one? Do you feel that you are running for your life or just off to “la la land” for a few hours? Do you have good dreams or nightmares?

 

Rarely have I been able to just put my head down and fall asleep. More than likely I have to lull myself to sleep by writing a story in my head. I have been doing this since I was a young adult and the following night I would pick up where I remember leaving off before I drifted off to sleep. The older I get, the harder it is to go to sleep. My mind always seems to be racing and the story format just does not hold my interest anymore.

 

It is here that I have been pondering more as of late, the time we have on this earth and how vital it is. When I was younger I could not grasp it, so I squandered thinking more would come tomorrow. As I entered my college years, I tried to manage it in order to be more productive and reap more benefits, but it wasn’t so attainable. In the workforce it gets taken away from you before you even realize it and soon you discover just how short it actually is. You try to maintain a personal life and a professional one, as well as, see family and friends, and run every imaginable errand, but there never seems to be enough time to accomplish all of this. You may even go overboard by pulling your hair out or worrying constantly, neither of which will solve anything nor achieve your initial desire for more time.

 

As I got older and my health deteriorated more rapidly, I needed to utilize my time effectively to manage the rest of my years. I still fall short, as we all will, but I see things in a different perspective now.

 

Time has always been there, but the limit was set the moment we are born. Our days are numbered and we have no control over how much time we actually have. It is here I discovered I needed to know not only my purpose, but how I was going to try to do all I had to do in what now seems an even shorter time span. I know I am running around trying to fix things, repair relationships, help others and manage other tasks not knowing when the clock will finally stop.

 

I am writing this to myself and to you as well. It is a warning to be taken seriously, but also a life-changing decision that can enrich your life as well. We need to make a decision to try to prioritize our goals in this life because once again no one knows when that final bell will ring.

 

How do we do that? How do we make a sound serious decision and yet still find time to have a little fun? How to we make sure we let our loved ones know just how much we love them? How do we learn to be grateful? You need to determine how you want to impact this world. Do you want to leave a legacy or make a statement? Do you care about those you will leave behind? Is it all about you and your need to have fun? What is your purpose and your intent?

 

Once you take the time to think about all of this you can move on and live your life. You aim for the stars and then just live. No one has all of the answers, but you can find them.

 

When I was a child I lived as a child. I played. I had fun. As an adult responsibility entered the picture and even though I was single, I still had to think of someone other than myself. I needed to think of my family and other loved ones.

 

I chose to waste time as an adult. I chose to work excessively and eat obsessively. I lost time doing this. I constantly stumbled and had to find the strength to get back up and continue on. This took a toll on my health. My health now took time away from me that I cannot ever get back. With older eyes I can re-examine my past, but I cannot change it. I could only make changes to my present. I chose myself again, but now for very different reasons. I chose to focus on my health and by doing so, possibly enhance the time remaining. I made this decision so that I could re-focus myself on bigger goals and desires other than myself.

 

With a new perspective on my health I was able to see others more clearly and I decided I wanted to devote my remaining time to them. I put my old self on a shelf regarding my personal wants and decided to move on towards helping someone else instead. I still have to think about the health issues because those are needs, not wants. Wants are our desires to please ourselves and we can live without them. Needs are necessary in order to continue to live.

 

I do not know what time is left, but I do know I will make every second of it count. I created this blog in order to talk about life issues and lessons I have learned from life because maybe someone else is going through a similar struggle. I consider this my ministry. I seek to try to learn and understand what the other person is going through. I seek to reach out and try to help. I offer empathy and words of encouragement because that is what was offered to me.

 

I am a Christian and I choose to live for Christ. I set aside my personal desires and chose to follow Him. I had to sacrifice my selfishness, my pride, my arrogance and surrender myself to Him. In order to follow Him I need to live like he asked me to live. I need to be compassionate, loving, kind, respectful, empathetic and willing to do this all for His glory. When I accepted Christ I said yes to all of this.

 

I willingly do this because I know the gift He bestowed upon me. He saved me from myself and my destructive habits. He forgave me my sins and by his mercy I do not suffer all that I deserve to suffer. I learned how to love myself and others through His word and by Him. I sought him and found him. I speak with him daily – multiple times a day. He is my refuge and my strength. His love helps me endure the trials and the suffering this world provides. He does not take it away, but rather walks through it with me, so that I can endure the walk. One day I will be reunited with loved ones whose own time also passed much too quickly and I will have the honor of seeing Jesus face to face.

 

This is my barometer on time. He is the beginning and the end result of how my time is measured and lived.

 

I urge anyone who is lost, confused, alone, or suffering to take a moment and do one thing. Pick up a bible and read it from cover to cover. Embrace the message inside and then find a local church and pastor to have fellowship with. Ask your questions, seek the answers and find a new meaning to your life. From there you can begin to utilize your time more effectively. Your life will no longer be your own, but His. He will lead where you need to go and how to get there. He is your gps system and it will never fail you. You will find your purpose and your drive to accomplish it for Him alone.

 

Time is short, but making the time to know Him is vital. Will you let Him into your life? Will you stop what you are doing and let Him in? I pray that you do. The time to do so is now. His plans for you are many and you may be saving more than just your own life. Time is a valuable commodity, but it does run out eventually. Make it count.