If you have followed my blog with any degree of regularity
over the past few years, I’m sure you have noticed the ebb and flow of my
dedication to it. Some months—or years—I have posted regularly, and kept up
with my reading, writing, and linkups, while others I have let it fall to the
wayside and have done well to post at all. Mostly, this is because I have been
in college (and technically I still am once summer break is over, I have one
year left), but it is also because I haven’t been very faithful to use the
gifts and talents that God has given me. I have quite a few hobbies, and while
it is difficult to devote a decent amount of time to all of them on a regular
basis, more lately, I have found myself completely neglecting to devote any
time to them at all. The way this blog has gone over the past year or so in
particular is an example of this.
However, God has been tugging at my heart lately, reminding
me of all of the things that He has created in me a love to pursue. More
importantly, He has been gently nudging me to take a good look at how I choose
to spend my time. Actually, He has been instructing me to take stock of my life
and how I live it for quite some time now, but I have been a lot slower to
listen. Why? Because I’m comfortable. Because I like spending my time however I
like. Because I don’t necessarily enjoy being convicted. While all of those
statements remain true today, I can’t actually let them govern my life. There
is always going to be something I need to work on. And change is never going to
be something I really enjoy. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, my life isn’t
my own. I know that. Besides, God’s plans always turn out to be even bigger
than my dreams (which is a topic I want to cover again, more in depth, on
another day), so deep down I know that my best option is always to respond to
God’s gentle prodding.
Right now, that looks like taking stock of what exactly I am
doing with my time, with my life. I’ve recently heard something at the Bible I
have been attending for quite some time that really stood out to me, and has
stuck with me ever since it was mentioned. We had been studying Ephesians for a
while (we just finished it a couple of weeks ago actually), and there is a
verse near the end—in the second to last section of chapter 4 to be exact—that
says: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing
something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share
with those in need.” Anyway, when we were studying the passage that contains
this verse, we took the time to really look at each verse in depth, and this is
one we just so happened to end up focusing on. No one in the room felt as if
they were really “stealing” anything, so it almost seemed as if this verse
might not be applicable, until someone mentioned how it might be beneficial to
look at the verse in a different light. While none of us were actively stealing
items or money or anything tangible, she commented on the fact that she felt as
if God were telling her that she was “stealing” time.
Even though we have sense passed on from that passage, and
from the book of Ephesians altogether, that one comment she made has stuck with
me ever since. Am I stealing time? Sometimes I feel like I am. Because time is
a gift. We only have this one life, and while we get to make the decision of
how we spend it, God is the one who decides how long we get to live it. Not
only that, but since He is a perfect, all-knowing Father, He also knows the
best way we can truly live our lives to the fullest. And yet, day after day, I
find myself “stealing” the time He has given and using it for my own selfish
purposes, most of which do not have any benefit—especially long-term benefit—at
all. Quite honestly, even in the midst of my enjoyment of resting or lazing my
day away, I feel a sense of disappointment in myself and how I am spending my
time. Rest is great and all—especially on those days when I am particularly
tired—but even in the midst of my resting I wish I was doing something a little
more worthwhile.
All of this is to say, that is why I have begun to devote
myself a little bit more to this blog. Over the past few days, and weeks, I
have been slowly but surely working towards living my best life. I’ve been
reevaluating my time and how I spend it, and refocusing on what I believe is
truly important in my life. I’m also beginning to find a new love for all of
the hobbies and gifts God has given me. I’ve realized once again how much I
love writing. And while I haven’t started working on a book again—yet—I have
begun really writing for this blog and I have been enjoying it immensely.
So, I hope you will join me as I begin this new blogging
adventure. And as I continue to share what God is speaking to me over these
weeks, I hope that I can encourage you—my lovely readers—as you walk through
your own life battles. Most importantly, I hope that my own personal journey
will inspire others, in whatever ways God chooses to use it.
May God bless you and keep you,
To see where I'm linking up, check out my Where I Party page.
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