“When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Time is finite and irreplaceable. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” – Rick Warren

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8 NIV

“Be still… and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10 NIV

“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”  – Mark 1:35 NIV

Time is such a precious gift – a gift too many of us take for granted.  For some strange reason, it’s so easy to end a day with unwavering confidence that we will wake up tomorrow to see another one.

This kind of callous, indifferent attitude toward time is so common today.  Unfortunately, I’m not immune to this mindset myself – often falling into the trap of wasting far too many valuable minutes on things unworthy of the precious time exhausted on them.

Exhausted is the perfect terminology to use as time wasted is permanently consumed – never to be taken back or regained.  Unlike my golf game, the game of time has no mulligan.  If you shank, slice or hit a drive with your time that doesn’t land in the fairway, you can’t pick up another piece of time, tee it up, and take another swing at it.  Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Ironically, we can waste time wishing we had a time mulligan – a chance to do it over again.  Of course, a better use of time would be to focus on what time remains, with a reverential knowledge that its duration is mysteriously unknown.  You may have many, many years remaining or just a few short days.  Our unused portion is an enigma that only the Creator sees and understands.

Given this harsh reminder of how precious our time is here, what changes will you make tomorrow that nurture, cherish, and add value to its passing – considering our ignorance as to what remains yet unused?

This is going to sound funny, but most of my life and the subsequent time associated with it was spent simply living in routine.  If you think about it, I’m positive you will come to the same conclusion about your own life!  You know…. going to work, doing house chores, running errands, raising a family – all the stuff that makes up a normal life.

Little if any time was spent with God.  Maybe an occasional Sunday here and there, but nothing special or meaningful.   Prayers were uttered only in desperate situations or on special occasions.  All my time was spent on routine living.  At times, I barely had enough time to do that very well!

Then, that life I spent all my precious time living fell apart.  I lost my family, my career, and all that I literally “lived” for.  I remember feeling so alone, rejected, and confused.  All the things I had spent my time doing and pouring my energy into were no longer there. 

With no family, job, or home to attend to any longer, all I had was time on my hands.  I remember not wanting to spend it in my small apartment alone, so I went to the gym each day, but you can only exercise for so long.  I tried hard to look for work, but you can only spend so much time each day cold-calling potential employers – especially when most of the contacts weren’t interested in taking a chance on me.

So, the days were long.  Too much time spent thinking about how things went wrong – wishing I had a mulligan so I could instantly do it over again.  I sunk into a depression so severe; I lost my zest for life.  It didn’t seem worth living anymore.

But amid that depression and despair, in that small apartment on Walnut Street is where I learned how to spend time with God. 

At first, the time was spent simply crying.  I didn’t utter a word, ask a question, or spend any time listening.  I just sat in His presence.  I remember feeling as though I was being embraced and comforted.  I didn’t NEED to say anything as God knew exactly what was running through my mind.  It was in those moments I learned that sometimes prayers don’t matter and answers don’t matter.  All that matters is being close to God and spending quiet time in His presence.  Something supernatural happens.  An indescribable energy – a peaceful sort of aura that cuts through any situation or circumstance you face.

As I felt that presence, it seemed natural over time to begin speaking – verbalizing my needs, the questions I had, and the hurt I was feeling.  During that time, I slept a lot, so often even my time awake was spent lying in bed.  I remember talking to God as if He was sitting in the chair next to my bed.  At the time, listening wasn’t important to me.  I KNEW God was there and I just poured out all my thoughts without hesitation.  I imagined Him sitting there, His ear bent toward me, with a gentle, concerned look on His face.

Of course, all that talking eventually led to questions – questions about my circumstances and questions about how God viewed them.  During this time, I learned the importance of listening for answers.  I don’t mean a verbal answer, but one that speaks to your spirit – one that can only be heard if you quietly listen with intent and expectation.  I began reading the Bible more – seeing it as a venue that God uses to speak to us.  As I asked questions, I would read and SEE the written answers before my eyes.  As I asked, I would spend quiet time, simply focused on listening to the spirit within me – using God’s Word as validation to what I felt and heard.

I can’t begin to tell you the spectrum of emotions, thoughts, and personal revelations I received during those precious moments. I can say without a doubt the best time I’ve spent, the most rewarding and renewing moments, were those spent with God.

Jesus understood this as often the Bible mentions how He went off by Himself to a quiet place to spend time alone with God.  He knew the wisdom, the peace, and the comfort that came with seeking this precious time.

Now my friend, back to my original question: What changes will you make tomorrow that will nurture, cherish, and add value to your time and its passing?

Within each day there are 1440 minutes.  Can you spend 15 minutes a day with God, just over 1% of your time?  Do it in a quiet place – separate from others and potential distractions.  You don’t have to say a word, simply sit quietly in His presence.  You will be amazed at the emotions you experience and the sense of peace that surpasses all human understanding.  God desires to be in your presence, and He will make His presence known to you!

“You will fill me with joy in your presence…”  – Psalm 16:11 NIV

Some days, you may choose to spend your 15 minutes doing all the talking – getting things off your chest.  That’s ok my friend as God is a great listener!  He listens with an understanding that’s far greater than any friend or family member.  He can see what is deep in your heart like no one else can.  He even hears those things that we have trouble saying, trouble finding the right words for, or those things we forget to include.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”   – 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

Eventually, spending time in His presence will create a desire within you to know what is on God’s mind.  Your entire 15 minutes might be spent quietly listening to your spirit or spent reading God’s Word – confident He will direct you to the passage or scripture that will speak specifically and directly to your circumstances.  You will begin to understand that prayers aren’t one-way communication, but require time spent listening and searching God’s Word for His answers.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.”   – Matthew 7:7 NIV

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is His name:  Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  – Jeremiah 33:2-3 NIV

Pretty soon, 15 minutes or 1% of your day won’t be enough time 😊

You will look forward to spending increasingly more time with Him each day.  You will feel your energy levels rise.  You will begin to make better choices in your life.  Most importantly, you will experience a peace that’s indescribable – affecting the quality of your life and the time you have remaining.

May your time spent with God be a great blessing to you and to all the lives you touch!