Is it just me or has time been flying by lately? I looked at the calendar and I couldn’t believe we are already almost through the 2nd month of the new year ALREADY!! It’s as if someone has pushed the fast forward button and time is swiftly passing us by.…
Ephesians 5:15-16 admonishes us to:
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Colossians 4:5-6 tells us to:
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. …
Again, that same phrase is reiterated— redeeming the time—
As I pointed out, time is swiftly passing by. God wanted to remind us that our lives are fleeting.
James 4:14 reminds us of that fact.
…For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
It seems like when we are children, time takes FOREVER! My kids are always asking me “how long until my birthday?”, “How many days until our vacation?” Or what about this one—“How many days until next Christmas?” (Yes, my son asked that question before December was even over this year! 🤦🏼♀️) In their little small worlds of playtime and minimal responsibility, time seems track much more slower than it does in our "adult" world.
When you become an adult, (and especially after hitting that 3rd decade mark and beyond 🤦🏼♀️) it’s like you suddenly feel like you ARE a “crazed hamster” 🐹 on the “hamster wheel” of life. I use this analogy because it’s something I have witnessed firsthand when my daughter had a hamster. I was always so amazed at how crazy that little rodent got at night on his wheel. He would sleep most of the day, but the second he thought we all were in bed, he came ALIVE! He ran on his spinning wheel constantly for hours on end. Many times, the poor thing looked exhausted, yet for some unknown reason, he felt as if he must keep running as if his life depended on it.
I sure wasn’t making him run on that wheel each night for hours. My daughter wasn’t forcing him to run, but deep inside his little hamster mind, he felt as if he must do it and that he couldn’t stop. He must have felt that running on the wheel nightly for all he was worth was what hamsters were “supposed” to do.
Likewise, in this life, we often find ourselves with a similar mindset as my daughter’s little hamster. Running around in circles—as if our lives depended on it. We get so busy— trying to do this and do that, that we sometimes forget our commission— we were told to “redeem the time” — make it count!
Many times, I have heard the above verses explained in reference to making the most of our time serving the Lord. The evil days being explained as when old age grips our bodies and we are limited by our physical abilities to work FOR God. (in other words, work now while you are young and physically able!) I agree wholeheartedly in that regard...But I think the message of “redeeming the time” can go beyond just that application…. It could also apply to being intentional with our time in our everyday lives and to “live in the moment”.
Like i said, when we think of redeeming the time, of course, the very first thing that comes to mind is redeeming the time in the spiritual sense. We know that we must be “about the Father’s business”! We know Jesus’ coming is very imminent and as believers, we must be found faithful! We must work while it is yet day, because night is swiftly coming upon us —We must be trying to share this Good news to anyone we can!
In the same category, we also must "redeem our time" from the everyday distractions and the cares of this life. Oh, it’s not wrong to clean our house, care for our children, or do this or do that, but we must make sure that we still designate time for the Lord! He desires our fellowship and longs for our worship on a personal level. We can never have that sweet communion with Him unless we are willing to “redeem that time” WITH Him— remember Mary and Martha? Martha loved Jesus just as much as Mary did, I believe, yet, we find Mary at His feet, communing with Him, while we see Martha overwhelmed and stressed out if you will— upset over what she saw as an unfair situation because she had to “DO IT ALL” and Mary wasn’t helping! (Sound familiar….?? I know I’ve been there a few times myself)
We read of Jesus’ gentle rebuke to Martha here in Luke 10:38-42
[38] Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. [39] And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. [40] But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. [41] And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: [42] But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Jesus wasn’t upset with her for her actions— trying to cook a meal, clean, and prepare lodgings for all her guests—(all of those things were necessary and good!) in fact, I’m sure Jesus was planning on partaking and enjoying the work of Martha’s hands—eating a delicious dinner and having a clean, comfortable place to sleep. No, the focus wasn’t on what she WAS doing —but rather, what she WASN’T doing— or rather on what (the WHO) she was leaving out. She lost her focus somewhere along the way. Jesus wasn’t just any house guest! He was the Messiah! He was God in the flesh! Yet, she allowed her “hamster wheel” of responsibilities to cause her to miss out on precious time at Jesus’ feet herself.
These verses (and their message!) have been speaking to me in a more physical sense as well….
Like Martha, we too get so caught up in our tasks, our never-ending to-do lists, our mountain of chores, and our staggering load of responsibilities, and we too miss out on precious time with our Creator, but not only with Him, but we often miss countless opportunities to “redeem the time” with our kids, our spouses, our family, and our friends also. Yes, all of our tasks ARE important, and they are necessary for our everyday survival and the wellbeing of our families, but sometimes, we must slow down and “hop off” our "hamster wheel" to enjoy the moments that are swiftly passing by.
I believe being intentional with our time is a way we can "redeem the time". What is “being intentional with our time”? It’s living in the moment and being fully present. It’s enjoying the trip to the park that you take with your kids and being fully present WITH them-- not worrying about your to-do list or how you are "wasting time".
It is listening to your spouse at the end of the day, and intentionally making time to talk and snuggle with him instead of just brushing him off with a nonchalant “uh-huh” and impatiently waiting for them to be quiet so you can go back to your phone, your book, your task list, your whatever……fill in the blank.
Being intentional with our time is one way we can “redeem the time” because it causes us to make the most of the gift we have been given.
So, how can we become Time Redeemers in a crazy busy “hamster wheel" world ?
Time is a funny thing. It can seem like there’s a lot of it, or it can also seem like it’s in very short supply. In today’s busy world, if we do not plan what to do with our time (and guard it to a certain extent) we will very quickly find ourselves running out! Here are some ways that we can start “redeeming the time”.
1. Define what is really important to you
What things are really important to you? Do you even know? Have you actually sat down and written them out on paper? I challenge you to try this! Having a written list of the things most "important" to you can serve as your daily guide. Having a list of what is most important to you will keep you on track and give you a vision. That's why a lot of companies have a mission statement or a mantra that defines their purpose--what they want to accomplish or the goals that they want to meet... having a written focus is often all we need to keep us grounded in our mission.
If something does not align itself with our most "important" things, that's a good indication that we shouldn't waste our time on it. We must redeem our time--keep it from being wasted on things that mean nothing but instead, channel it into what means the most to us.
Unsure?? Ask yourself: If I were old and dying, is this something that I would look back on and think, “My time was well spent.” or would I say, “I wish I wouldn't have wasted my time on that.” ?
2. Set Your Priorities
Once we have defined what is "most important" to us, then we should start setting our priorities. Which of our important things mean the most to us? Then, we can reorder our list in greatest/highest priority to least/lowest priority order. Keep in mind though--- You can’t prioritize everything. (It does not work at all!) Pick the ones that are truly the most important to you.
Don't worry if your list isn't perfect the first time. It isn't set in stone. You can change your priority order or revamp an item or maybe you discover an item that made your initial list isn't really all that important after all--Remove it! You can make your list as detailed or as broad as you would like. That is the beauty of this exercise. It is solely for you. You can add or remove task/goals at any time. It may take you some time to discover which things you really want focus on....
For me, I have decided that my "most important" priorities are: (This is the Broad version--
I have started making a daily/weekly list --prioritizing what I most want to accomplish in that day or in that week)
1) Serving God.
I have found when you put Him first, everything else falls into place. Trust me on this one! God should always make the top of our lists. Prioritizing our relationship with our Maker is paramount to our success in every other area of our life! Make time for your devotions with the Almighty and you will never regret it!
2) Being the best wife I can be for my husband.
That’s right, the kids are not 2nd. There is a good reason for that. Prioritizing the relationship with my husband is my number one "most important" thing after my relationship with God. My main goal is to be my husband's "helpmeet"-- that was God's sole purpose in design when HE created a woman. If He thought that purpose important, so should I!! Why? Marriage is the foundation on which the family is built. That needs to be rock solid. The kids find security in knowing that the relationship between their parents is not only stable but strong. That’s also why I write a lot about working to build a strong marriage. It’s hard to be happy and content if your marriage is a mess.
3) Being the best mom I can for my kids.
They may not be 2nd on the list, but they are a strong 3rd. I love my kids. God has blessed me with 2 wonderful children. It’s my job to do the best I can to teach them in the love and admonition of the Lord. Raising kids isn't easy. It takes God's help. But having my kids on my priority list reminds me that they come before lesser things in life.
They are more important than me being on my phone. They come before my personal hobbies. Their needs should always be before my own "wants". What does my child need today? How can I help them grow today?" "How can I help influence these children toward God?"
4) Extended family and friends
Most of us are more than just a wife and mom. Perhaps, you are a daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, sister-in-law, niece, or friend. We all have many roles that we fill and cultivating those other relationships in our lives is important as well. We must work on our relationships with others in order to have strong families and strong churches. We NEED each other. Make time for that long distance friend. Don't allow time and distance to erode away years of friendship. Prioritize that relationship.
5) Other commitments
Yes, this category still made my priority list, but it’s the farthest one down. For instance, I love this blog and I love writing these articles. It is such blessing to me, but it is not my main priority. God, my husband, my kids, and my family will always come first.
I enjoy helping others. I don't care a bit to jump in and be part of anything. I am usually always up for doing anything I am asked to do, but the above roles in my life come first. If my time starts getting stretched, I must remind myself of my priority order. Everything else comes after!
One of the big priorities I am working on myself in my more detailed priority list is trying to be more fully present as a spouse but especially as a mom. My kids are growing up so fast. I don't want to turn around one day and realize I missed their entire childhood by being too busy to be engaged with them. It's more than just caring for their physical needs. They need their mama to be fully invested in them. Not distracted on my phone, or with my never-ending to-do list. They need me to be part of their everyday world. Whether it's by making learning fun, by making chores into a fun, impromptu dance party, sitting on the edge of their beds at night to talk with them and make sure they are doing good and nothing is bothering them inside. It's those little seemingly insignificant things that often make the most profound impact in the eyes of children.
When I started committing to being more fully present and enjoying my family, or whatever I was doing, I began "redeeming the time". I started taking time to enjoy the experience instead of hurrying it along in my head so that we could get to whatever was next. It made a huge difference in my life and in the happiness in my children.
I want to enjoy their childhood with them. I want them to be able and think back on all the fun things we did and all the memories we made. Most of all, I want them to remember my unconditional love and support but even more, my own devotion to God.
Time is a limited commodity for all of us. WE must recognize this and work diligently to use it wisely.
May I challenge us today--- Let's redeem some time today!
Hug those babies. Take a few minutes to get on their level and play with them. Read to them. Show them a fully present mom who is prioritizing THEM!!
Kiss your husband with intention when he comes home. Don't brush off those little interactions. Be fully present! Take time to truly listen to him this evening. Encourage him. Uplift him. BE HIS HELPMEET!
Turn on Holiness Voices Radio (found on phone app or also broadcasts on the TUNE IN APP) as you do your housework today around the house. Music affects our moods. Feed the Spirit and you will find it easier for your priorities to self=align in the correct placement.
From my heart to yours,
-Tiphanie ❤️
