525,600 minutes

LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Psalm 39:4-5

525,600
That is how many minutes are in one year.

One.single.year.
What are we doing with those minutes?

A recent storm took our power for just a few moments. Everything stopped. The computer was forced to rely on battery power, the radio stopped, no warning, just yielded to the silence of our home, the washing machine ceased it's spinning and the air shut down.

Though the clock remained still, quiet, dark...time was still passing. Not even the rage of the storm could stop time. Time is something that stops for no-one. We can’t reverse it, neither can we regain it…what we have and what we do with it is fully within our hands.

In making the Sabbath Day Holy, or set apart for no work or labor – God was trying to show us the importance of making time for Him. As a child, I attended church every single Sunday. As an adult, it seemed natural to carry on the tradition. Truly, one hour per week...who cannot commit to that? There are 8766 hours per year, only 52 of them brimming with the expectation of worship. So, a challenge still remains – will we set aside time for our Lord and Saviour? Are we saving our time for Him, strictly for church, or are we spending time with Him daily in His Word and in prayer?

"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark 1:35

It amazing that for things we ‘want’ to do- time very seldom is a factor. We rearrange, reschedule, cut short, cancel, we make all the necessary changes to make ‘it happen’. But for God…the first fruits are not always reserved for Him. He just always seems to get the ‘timeouts’ of our life. Just a few seconds here and there, and then we wonder why life is passing us by. He calls us and we forgo calling Him back. He sends us His people tired, needy and desperately craving His truths and we busily hurry by them, missing the opportunity to share Him with them. What are you doing with your minutes? I know mine are painfully misaligned. I certainly don't mean it to be that way, however if my time is short, then I want to be serious about making changes to embrace the Lord every.single.day.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

This summer, God has quietly led me through the first part of a year-long journey through His Word. I look forward to our quiet time together and anxiously scroll through the readings eager for His wisdom and prayerful about what He is doing in my life. In encouragement and love, I share with you that "I don't always get it." However, the Lord has made it clear to ALL of us that our understanding is not His understanding. Ultimately, I do desire to understand clearly, however, for this minute, I am at peace spending critical time with the Lord each day, trusting His guidance and wisdom to make ALL of my minutes more meaningful, with His purpose and not my own.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

With Him, life goes from being just good to great; discernment helps me manage my time better. He has shown me how I need to prioritize differently. Our minutes need to "count", my minutes with Him make the rest of the minutes worthwhile. If I can do "it", whatever "it" may be, to His glory and serve Him gladly; 525,600 minutes hold great purpose.

We are assured that if we seek Him readily, he seeks us also.

What are you doing with your minutes???