Oh, happy day!! Sunday officially ushered in Autumn. My favoritest of favorite time of year!! Cooler weather. Beautiful colors. Pumpkin everything! Love everything about it!! Except for my fall allergies. I could totally do without those. Excuse me while I go take a Claritin...
This last week has been a time of processing priorities for our family. Time is such an important commodity and I want to budget it well. The Word talks about redeeming the time(Ephesians 5:16 KJV).
The dictionary defines redeem as this:
to make better or more acceptable;
to exchange for money, award, etc;
to buy back; to free from what distresses or harms.
I don't want to just spend my time. I want to redeem it. The applications of this concept are many. Notice Paul uses the present participle form of the word redeem. Adding the
-ing means it is not just a one time action...but an ongoing one. Oh, Snap! You didn't know you were going to get an English lesson today, did ya?
Christ redeemed us when He died on the cross. One time. Action finished. We don't have to do anything else. Praise God!! But we are charged to redeem our time. The NIV translates it as making the most of every opportunity. Our mortal selves are so tied to time. We can't function without it. How many times have we said, "I have no idea where today went!"
As women we can get so caught up in taking care of things and people around us that we don't stop to think about how we are using our time. We are just thinking about what needs to be accomplished and how little time we have to get everything done. I know, I live there!
I want to be more intentional in redeeming my time. I'm a very practical person. What would it look like to redeem my time?? Let's take the definition and get practical!
to make better or more acceptable:
I want to use my time to make something better. This includes myself. Spiritually, the only way to do this is to let God work in me. I must make time to spend in the Word and prayer. Only He can change me into a "better" person. And on the completely frivolous side of things. It's okay to feed your soul by taking time to do something you enjoy. I mean, really, don't you always feel better after getting your hair done or a pedicure?? Even the mundane tasks we do like laundry and dishes...they make our homes better. If I look at the household chores as this...it makes it seem not quite as yucky. I'm redeeming the time to make things better for my family. The applications for this can be carried into most things we do. Be intentional about thinking of things in this way and see if it doesn't help your perspective.
to exchange for money, award, etc:
I am not advocating selling your time. However, I guess, technically, when you work at your job, you are exchanging your time for your paycheck. I would like you to think about it in the intangible, though. I want to redeem my time with the eternal dividends in mind. We can exchange our time by investing in others for heavenly treasures. Every time we share the love of Jesus with those around us, we are trading in our time. Whether it's serving others through an organization, ministry at church, or just our friendships, how great is it to know that our time can have an eternal value and impact.
to buy back; to free from what distresses or harms:
This last one is exciting! This is what Jesus did for us! He bought us with His precious blood and freed us from everything that distresses and harms us. Somebody should be shouting about that!! We can carry this freedom to the world around us. There are so many people around us hurting and in bondage and we have the freedom and deliverance they so desperately need. May what we say and do bring this freedom to those we see every day. Don't get overwhelmed by the idea of this. Sometimes this may mean sharing Christ with a lost soul. Other times it may just be by encouraging a friend by prayer and a Scripture, sending a card, taking a meal to someone, or watching a young mom's littles so she can run an errand.
My challenge for all of us today is to consciously think about our time. Are we redeeming it? Let's be encouraged that we can redeem our time for things of eternal value.
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