The gift of time.

Have you ever noticed how closely guarded every second of our day is? We pack each moment as tight as we can with activities and to do lists. We almost acted guilty if we find we suddenly have a few moments to ourselves.

Even worse than that, we fill our family’s lives in the same way. Our children go to playdates, sporting events, tutoring, art classes and all the other activities we can squeeze in for them. All in the hopes of making their lives better. Yet, in doing so we’ve taken away our child’s play time, the time to use their imaginations, time to develop true friendships, and the time to just be children.

As for our husbands/wives we’re so full of activities that revolve around our own businesses activities and children’s lifestyles that we don’t take the proper time for each other. We’ve almost forgotten how to be romantic, how to take the time to be husband-and-wife. We even ask to have to penciling date nights so that we can spend time together away from my busy schedules.

It’s a shame that our life become so wrapped up that we forgotten how to really enjoy life, how to take pleasure in just the simple acts. Moments like sitting on a porch swing and relaxing with each other holding hands, watching the children play in the yard trying to catch fireflies. These may be things of a bygone era, but they are things that I, personally, think should be brought back.

So the next time somebody ask you what kind of gift to get you, ask for something really special: the gift of time. Time to be by yourself, time to be with your family, without all their obligations. Time to personally grow. Maybe even a little to be with your Lord and bask in the glory of all he’s given us. Time for nature, because with our busy schedules we rush right by and don’t even spend the time to notice the wonderful flowers, smells, and the wild animals around us.

So, you’ve been given the gift of time – now what are you doing to do with it?