There are plenty of activities and pursuits in which we can easily spend the majority of our time. We are an interesting lot! Most of us don’t really number our days, in the sense of living each moment with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. We are usually content to meander our way through our days with no great sense of urgency, or understanding of the season and times we are in.
For the most part we know what urgency is, but we don’t consider many things of an urgent nature. Maybe it comes with the wide array of choices we have and the “no worries, she’ll be right mate”, “I’ll get around to it.” attitude many of us have. Patience has it’s place and it’s by faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God, but if we are honest the she’ll be right mate attitude usually doesn’t have much faith attached to it.
Too often I think we let things slide. We don’t make a stand when we could have. We perhaps have grown timid with our friends and family, not making the most of every opportunity to connect, to share our faith and to tell them how much they mean to us.
Rather than speak up, or do what we feel compelled to do, we stay silent, and do nothing because we don’t want to offend or risk too much. We distract ourselves or resolve ourselves to pray some more, and stop short of saying or doing what we may once have felt compelled to do. If there is one thing I have learnt it is that the longer we wait to act upon a revelation or conviction, the weaker and less urgent that conviction becomes.
The bible says to, “pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil”. (Ephesians 5:16)
We seem to have been overcome by the idea that there is an excessive amount of time to accomplish all things, or even do what we are convicted to do. That there is no need to get too excited about changing, stepping out or acting on anything too quickly.
Why? Because we aren’t measuring our days, and understanding the importance of the very moment in front of us. But God says the exact opposite. He tells us there is a time for things, and often even a sense of urgency to make decisions. We are exhorted to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. (Psalm 90:12)
I love the line by Matt Damon in “We bought a zoo” when the father tells his children of the moment he met their mother. He said, “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.
I don’t believe things just happen by coincidence, but that life is full of divinely orchestrated moments. But we can miss things because we don’t act, we don’t speak, we don’t move. We don’t take those twenty seconds of insane courage and bravery. God is speaking and directing, and angels are setting things up to assist us. But if we are intent on doing our own thing, or lack the wisdom and sometimes just straight out bravery to see who or what is right in front of us we can miss opportunities. People we are meant to meet, jobs we were meant to get, conversations we were meant to have, and lives that we were meant to bless.
God says something about our time. He says “There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
“A man’s heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps“. (Proverbs 16:9)
Don’t waste anymore time not acting, speaking, or being where you should be, with whom you are meant to be with. All it takes is to listen to God guiding and directing your steps, and literally at times having twenty seconds of insane courage. Don’t put it off. Listen up to God, and then “take your twenty seconds?” Something great might just come of it!
Prayer: Lord help me to measure my days wisely. Help me to be courageous, and not keep putting off those things which you have been trying to guide and direct me in, even if it means some insane courage to act upon them. I want to be with who you have planned me to be with, being and doing what you made me to be. I don’t want to waste anymore time. In Jesus Name Amen.
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