Redeeming It (On the Subject of Time)

Over the past few months, God has been teaching me so much: especially on the subject of time.

One of my greatest convictions I hold is that time is precious. Almost every week God will shake me up, open my eyes, and point me towards eternity. "That family that just died in a fire? That could have been your family." "That boy, just died in a car crash, could have been you."

Suddenly all these moments, these deaths mean something more. Suddenly, God seems to speak to me louder and more clearly than at any other time.

Even on the days when I don't hear about death, there will be a song, a word, a book that makes me come alive. The other day I was in the movie theater, and the introductory song that whispered across the screen sent shivers down my spine.

This is life. This is a gift from God, and my heart is actually beating and my eyes can see and all my intestines are functioning properly. It's amazing that I'm alive.

I wrote before of how I used to sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, finding myself clenching my fists and telling God he can't ever allow me to die.

But he can, and he will.

In this new year, already I can feel God pushing me towards using my time well. Intentionally, purposefully, selflessly. There are many things on my heart, things I am praying over and considering.

"Should I watch TV? Is it worth my time? Should I browse Pinterest when I could be encouraging a friend through email? How often should I watch movies? What am I reading, and am I learning from it, or is it merely meaningless entertainment?"

This isn't to say that TV or movies are evil or fully meaningless--they can showcase God's glory and point us to themes of redemption, love, and sacrifice. Believe me, I watch movies. I watch TV.

What I'm trying to get across is that there is so much more out there that we can be doing. And, especially for us as youth, we have so much time on our hands--a blessing from God--that can be redeemed for God's glory.

I'm flawed. I don't redeem the time I've been given as often as I should. This is only a challenge, a banner raised to motivate and encourage. Keep running hard and fast down the path of pursuing Christ and knowing Him. Redeem your time for the Lord.