Tag Archives: time

Right or Left? – Cheri Swalwell
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Abide in Him

Abide in Him

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

As a stay-at-home mom, twenty-four hours in a day never seems like enough time. Most often I find my to-do list left with more “to-do’s” than things done. Sleep is overrated anyway, right? Deadlines, as well as last week’s work, pile up. And don’t forget the children have needs too.

When faced with this overload, it feels like the only solution is — don’t stop.

There is a church I drive by regularly with a sign out front that reads: Give God what is right, not what’s left. My first thoughts were in reference to tithing. Give God His money first, not what you have left over. Then one day it hit me. The statement is about more than tithing. It applies to my time management as well. What about my schedule, deadlines, and daily devotions?

I’ve found that when I seek God first thing, the day runs so much better. Somehow, deadlines are met, children’s needs are taken care of, and the pile recedes. It’s not a coincidence either. If I oversleep or selfishly put myself first, my day goes downhill, fast.

Jesus told us clearly, He was the vine and we must remain in Him to bear fruit. With His guidance we can manage anything and receive the gifts of peace found from a stress-free and worry-free life. The Son of God knew what He was talking about and He lovingly shared it with me.

My challenge to you is to rearrange your schedule so you purposefully put God first. I’m sure there are small changes you could implement that would show your Heavenly Father that He is more important than work or demands. You’ll find yourself with a calmer attitude, knowing you have help from a heavenly source. Let God start your day and I promise it will end in peace.

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net and artur84

Cheri Swalwell describes herself as a Christ follower first and foremost, wife, mother, and avid reader. If you want to hear more about the heart she has for marriage, parenting, and relationships from a Christian perspective, feel free to visit her blog: http://journeysfromtheheartofawifeandmother.wordpress.com or like her at Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/cheri-Swalwell/220762911373306.

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A Time to Rest – Andrea Merrell
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Time on my hands.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

My feet rushed down the hallway, through the foyer, and into the sanctuary. Two steps over the threshold, someone grabbed my arm. “Slow down. You look like you’re in attack-mode.”

I was doing it again. Focused on the tasks before me, I was oblivious to the people around me who needed my attention—oblivious to my own need to stop, take a deep breath, and keep myself from getting stressed out—again!

I’m a “doer.” Not a bad thing when balanced with rest, relaxation, and large doses of fun. The problem is, this balance keeps eluding me. No matter how hard I try, I feel guilty when I’m not “doing.”

Recently, I found myself with lots of time on my hands after two back-to-back surgeries. Since the latter involved my vision, I couldn’t read, work on the computer, or exert myself in any way. Sleeping and watching TV became my existence.

Instead of allowing my spirit, soul, and body a time of rest and recuperation, I fought the down-time. I fretted over the slow healing process, the inability to do anything around the house, and missing so much time at work. Friends told me to stop worrying and to allow my body time to heal. Someone suggested I accept the down-time as a gift. My greatest need was to “rest in the Lord” and I realized I didn’t know how.

I prayed for God to teach me how to be still before Him and listen. It was in those quiet, intimate moments with Him I found the acceptance, affirmation, and strength I so desperately needed. He drew me closer, watered my dry, thirsty soul, and showed me my identity is truly not in what I do, but in who I am—His child.

If Jesus is our ultimate example, even He took time to get away by Himself and rest. He hung out with His disciples, shared meals with friends, and took time to play with the children. He does not require us to prove our worth by being constantly busy, always trying to measure-up to the standards of others. It’s easy to become ensnared by our own misguided idea of what it takes to please God and those around us. Don’t get lost in the “doing” and miss the rest in simply “being.”

There is tremendous freedom in knowing we don’t have to earn God’s love or approval. He invites us to come as we are with all our baggage—our hurts, needs, and fears—and lay those burdens at His feet. “Come unto me,” He said, “and I will give you rest.” That’s a promise and an eternally open invitation.

I accepted it. Will you?

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Andrea Merrell lives in the upstate of South Carolina and is a freelance writer and editor with a passion to help others see God’s Word as practical and relevant for ordinary, everyday life. Andrea is a staff writer and Associate Editor for www.ChristianDevotions.us. She is also Associate Editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Her work has been published in Spirit & Heart: A Devotional Journey, Faith & Finances: In God We Trust, Faith & Family, PEN Points, The Write Life, and Extraordinary Answers to Prayer. She also writes for www.cornerstonegreenville.com. Visit her website at www.andreamerrell.com.

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Our Peace in Busyness – Frances Gregory Pasch
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Too much busyness

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

We’re all on overload. The whole world is in a tizzy. Our minds are bombarded with too much information on a steady basis. Calendars are filled to the brim, and the television captures many precious hours of our day. Organized sports fill our Sundays, leaving no time for families to attend church. How sad God gets left out of the picture.

There’s no way we can keep up with all the world offers without serious consequences. Sooner or later stress will take a toll. There used to be only a few choices of things to buy and places to go. Now malls contain so many stores we don’t know where to shop first. To top it off… new products come out each day. Technology is obsolete the month after it releases. Keeping up with the latest inventions often becomes a financial burden for the average family.

Even our children’s schedules are too heavy for them to carry. In addition to their education and after school activities, kids spend countless hours text messaging their friends and chatting for long periods of time on their cell phones.

I recently saw a program on TV that emphasized that children need to “play.” They need time away from organized activities to relax and enjoy themselves. When I raised my five sons in the 60s, children came home from school, had a snack, and just had fun with their friends. Now they have the pressure to be involved in something every day.

Times have changed, but despite the turmoil, there is one thing that remains constant. Hebrews reminds us, Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. He is our peace in the midst of our busyness.

There is reassurance in knowing Jesus never changes. He is faithful, merciful, truthful, and always available—not bound by time, and able to be everywhere at once. What an awesome God we serve.

Relax. Slow down. Listen for God’s still, small voice.

Fran has had over two-hundred devotions and poems published in numerous devotional booklets and Sunday School papers. Her writing has also been included in over a dozen book compilations. Fran enjoys encouraging writers and has led her writers’ group for the past nineteen years. She creates her own holiday greeting cards, incorporating her poetry. Fran has been married to her husband Jim for fifty-two years. They have five married sons and nine grandchildren.

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*Photo used by permission FreeDigitalPhotos.net – by t0zz

I Want to Get Rich – Quick! – Debbie Hardy
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I want to win the lottery.

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. I Timothy 6:9

I want to win the lottery or maybe Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. Even the HGTV Dream Home give-away sounds wonderful. Nothing wrong with any of those dreams. Everyone wants to win at one time or another.

Growing up in the projects, I dreamed of being rich one day. I would live in a big house and wear gorgeous clothes and take fantastic vacations every year or maybe every month. I would be beautiful and people would envy me. It would be wonderful.

But Jesus asked how it would benefit someone to gain the whole world and lose their soul. All the money in the world can buy medicine, but not health. It can buy companionship, but not friends. It can buy transportation, but not motivation to go anywhere. It can buy an audience, but not a relationship. And even the Beatles knew that money can’t buy love.

Then why do I want money? For one thing, I never want to be poor again. I know what it is to be poor and I know what it is to have plenty. I prefer plenty. That’s just human nature. We don’t want to do without if we have a choice.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with money. We need money to support ourselves, especially since the government can’t and shouldn’t do it for us. God wants us to have money. He’s given a lot of instructions on saving and spending wisely. All we have to do is learn his lessons.

But maybe we need to take care of something even more basic first – that soul thing Jesus talked about. We can’t take our money with us when we die, so maybe we should invest differently to reap dividends on the other side. After all, the stock market is fickle and businesses are laying off every day. What we do for Christ, his church, and his children will last far longer than any IRA. That’s where we need to invest our time, our energies, and, yes, our money.

And we won’t have to pay taxes on those dividends.

Debbie Hardy is the author of Stepping Through Cancer, A Guide for the Journey, a step-by-step guide for cancer caregivers, and the accompanying Caregiver’s Handbook. A Colorado resident, author, widow, and grandmother, Debbie’s positive outlook and joy in Christ have helped her transition from corporate America to writing and speaking. Check out her blog at SteppingThruLife.blogspot.com and her website at www.SteppingThroughCancer.com.
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Yet I Will Rejoice – Norma Thurston Holtman
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In His Time

Yet I will wait patiently…though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:16b-18

I tend to be a worrier. I also tend to be a perfectionist. Together they can be a very bad combination.

I like things to be the way I want, when I want, and if circumstances don’t cooperate then I get down in the dumps and cry a lot. Almost any given situation can be the end of the world to me. I can accept that God allows things for His purposes, however, I don’t do very well with accepting His timing for resolving the situation.

A friend once said there was a crisis in my life every week, or sometimes every day of the week. It’s not supposed to be like that for the Christian. If I leave my prayer time and don’t feel at peace I have not left my burdens at the feet of Jesus. I tend to talk to Him a while, pick up my burdens, and walk away with them. If I truly trust Him to take care of them I will be able to walk away at peace.

I have a hand-painted clock which has hung in my kitchen for thirty-five years. It says, “God’s Timing is Perfect.” I wonder how many times I have looked at it and read those words and never let them sink in.

Joseph was seventeen-years-old when he was sold into slavery in Egypt. According to the notes in the margin of my Bible, it was about twenty-three years before his father and brothers moved to Egypt with their families. Twenty-three years that he waited and all the while his father thought he was dead. The woman in John 8 had been “subject to bleeding for twelve years.” Both are very long times to wait for a prayer to be answered.

Habakkuk talks about a time when nothing was going right, yet he said he would wait patiently; he would rejoice in the Lord and be joyful. His words are worth learning from.

What prayer are you waiting to have answered and despairing over? Do you leave your prayer time and still feel anxious?

Choose today to leave the burden at Jesus’ feet when you leave your time of prayer. Choose to trust not only that He will do it, but that He will do it at the right time. Choose to go on your way rejoicing.

Norma Thurston Holtman is a former RN and homeschool/soccer mom. She is the mother of two adult children. She and her husband make their home in the mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A long-time Bible study leader, she writes a weekly devotional for her church’s website. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and an aspiring novelist. She desires to use her writing to bring glory to God and encourage fellow believers. Her devotionals can be found at http://2MefromHim.blogspot.com.
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Free Time – Adriana Vermillion
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24 Hours in a Day

The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, which loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Waking up every morning is like receiving a time bank account at its fullest. You can’t add more to it, however you can start enjoying its benefits if you manage it properly.

Think about this bank of time. It is free and equal to all mankind. We all have twenty-four hours, seven days a week, and 365 days in one year, yet some are rich, some are poor, and some are simply stuck.

A few years back when my husband and I understood the importance of tithing in the material world and its benefits, investing started the right way. Tithing did not come easy for us because we had very humble beginnings. It was natural to gather.

Lately, tithing is such a natural thing in my heart, I am tithing my shoes, my pantry, my closets, and now my time.

There is freedom in your mind and heart when you know you can set yourself apart for 2.4 hours each day, and at the end of 365 days you have spent 876 hours in a cause or community service you deeply care about.

Ninety percent of the time I can do what I want or need and ten percent of the time I am free to do what I love in honor of my God.

Give it a try for thirty days. I guarantee you will become a minimalist in many areas of your life. it’s amazing.

Log your time spent in chores, work study, etc… you get the picture. Then look at the numbers every night and adjust your lifestyle. Tithing of your finances is valuable, but learning to give of yourself is building character and treasures beyond your imagination. God loves a cheerful giver.

Adriana Vermillion is a freelance writer, speaker, and small group teacher. She is a graduate of Literature from the International Baccalaureate Program of Mehadia, CS, Romania where she edited the literary journal and tutored students in writing and editing. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and their two children. As an avid traveler and a gourmet food aficionado, she is actively seeking to publish restaurant reviews, cutting-edge articles about culinary culture, parenting, healing and self help.

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