Redeeming the Time

I can't explain it.

Have you ever just had an urgent spirit? You know that God is speaking to your heart--you know that He is encouraging..desiring you to get closer to Him.

You can't explain it, but you just know that the clock is ticking and you can't play games anymore. You're either in or you're out. No more straddling the fence.

That's where I am.

If you read my Thankful Thursday post, you've gotten a little insight into the fact that there have been some struggles going on in our household.

Now, not anything over the top..nothing more than many people are facing right now. DH has had a reduction in hours, DS trying to prove he's a man at 16...not doing anything we've thought about calling the police for-- :o} --just things that are causing us to tighten the reigns on him.

The blessing...the hope...the knowledge that God is faithful, lies in DD who has spent around a year and a half in the wilderness. (Apparently DS has forgotten what it was like when his sister was there....) In the last 2 months, we have been so blessed to watch our strong headed prodigal come home..and what a homecoming it's been!!!

This girl is so in love with and so on fire for our Savior that she's literally contagious!!

Please don't misunderstand. We have good kids. I wouldn't trade our life with them for anything. They absolutely know how to make their mother smile and they are a joy to be around. But don't we all want our children to be on fire for, sold out to Jesus??

Within myself though, going over my life in the last year, praying, asking God to open my eyes, to reveal to me His perfect will for my life at this time--to purge me and show me my sin that I can confess it and stand before Him, a vessel ready to be used. That's where I'm at.

Something God has repeatedly shown me is that I waste too much time. It's something I've known, but have refused to confront. I mean, the house is clean, the laundry is caught up..most of the time..meals are cooked..but in my asking God to reveal things to me, I have to be honest with myself. I do waste a lot of time.

It seems as if I've allowed Satan to make me easily distracted. Something I used to not be. That has got to stop.

I've touched on prioritizing in prior posts and on not wasting time, but I have to step up and begin to "practice what I preach".

I love blogging and I love reading other blogs and praying for those people who share their needs. I have made some wonderful friends through the blogging world that I'm positive God has placed in my life. I don't intend to stop blogging unless God just shows me that's what He wants. He has shown me though, that I am spending too much time on this computer and therefore, wasting precious time that He wants me to use in other ways. Such as......

With the reduction in DH's hours, the dryer is a luxury. I've got to stop wasting time and get that laundry washed and on the line. I can't wait and mosey around and then get it out on the line around 2 in the afternoon and expect it to be dry by 5. I've got to get it out early.

I've got to get more creative in my cooking and I've got to do it on a smaller budget. That means better planning, even more cooking from scratch and that means not waiting until 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon to decide a meal.

My family loves having snacks on hand and that means I need to make time to bake these things.

I've got to stop making unnecessary trips into town..for whatever. Unless DH has asked me to pick something up for him, I've got to learn that most things can wait. For me a trip into town will usually end up in spending money (and time) that doesn't need spent.

With DS, I've got to ask myself...what are my children truly seeing in me?? Are they seeing a Mom totally sold out and committed to God, spending time with Him because she desires to be with her Savior, or are that seeing a Mom who tries to "fit God in"? Do I speak to them in love with a gentle voice or do I get all "psycho" (their word)?

In asking God to purge me and reveal to me, it's been a little brutal---done in love and in answer to prayer--but brutal...and I'm thankful for that. It's how I want God to be with me...actually, it's how He needs to be with me. I'm a stubborn daughter and truthfully, brutal honesty is what gets my attention.

I've been forced to back up and ask myself how many of the trials that I go through are self induced?

I believe this is where the urgency comes in.

I can't be lukewarm any longer.

I have aging parents, of which both are lost. I can't waste anymore time.

I have a sister who is out of fellowship with God, I can't waste anymore time.

I have in-laws who are lost and out of fellowship with God. I can't waste anymore time.

I have a son who is at a crossroads, I can't waste anymore time.

Our income has been cut, I can't waste anymore time.

I have 3 sets of dear friends whose marriages are in trouble, I can't waste anymore time.

I read the headlines and listen to the news and can't believe how quickly we've come to this place, I can't waste anymore time.

People all around me are searching for hope. They are searching for Who I have, but do they know I have Him?

How quickly, how easily Satan creeps in when we grow complacent, lazy, wasteful.

"So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."

Ephesians 5:15-17, NLT (bold emphasis mine)

So, as I truly grab hold of a faithful God~as He takes me places that may stretch my faith~as He shows me His will for my life, I choose to hold on to this Scripture...

"Therefore, since we (I) have been made right in God's sight by faith, we (I) have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us (me) ."

Romans 5:1, NLT (bold print mine)

So I ask, how are you redeeming your time??