Giving Ourselves the Gift of Time

 Every day we open our eyes it’s a gift of more time from God. And with it comes the choice of how we spend or manage this gift. When I was younger (like so many), I assumed I had plenty of time for whatever in life! Well, a lot has changed since I was 25, now that I am 61 years of age. I have come to know that I have lived more years, than I probably have left and in taking life for granted I wasted many gifted days and a whole lot of time. There is no going back, only forward, and that is why I want to encourage us my dear sisters to not take our days for granted and stop putting off, giving ourselves a daily gift of time.

It is important to make time for ourselves each day. Why? Well, for one, tomorrow is not promised, and because we are important! We need to make sure we care for ourselves just as we do for others.
I have come to the conclusion it really doesn’t matter if we are younger, older, single, married or have kids—as women we have a tendency to put ourselves last. I know single women without children who are so busy with being busy—they too don’t give themselves the daily gift of time. Therefore, it is not so much our extenuating circumstances as much as our mindsets or maybe even our upbringing. There is an old saying, “A woman’s work is never done!” and there is a lot of truth to that, but on the flip side—it is done for the day when we say it is done.

When God gives us the gift of time in a new day, I don’t see anywhere it is His desire and plan for us to spend it in a way that we are exhausted at the end, and have not used some of the day for us. In fact He wants us to have quiet time to hear from Him and meditate on His Word. And we can achieve that by walking, soaking in a bubble bath, or sitting in a comfy chair listening to soft music. We only have to give ourselves the time for it.

When I was growing up, hobbies were a big deal once you reached a certain age. Life was different and people had more time at home and fewer distractions and we didn’t get to sit in front of the TV all day and all night. Maybe you could use a hobby in your life to bring relaxation and a sense of enjoyment? I do crochet a bit—mainly baby blankets, but of late I think I would like to stretch myself and take on a new project or two. I have also been experiencing some minor difficulties with my lower back and purchased the Am/PM yoga for beginners DVD by Jane Fonda. In truth, I’m experiencing a shift in my overall health and it is imperative that I spend a portion of my day, doing all that I can to reverse this shift upwards.

The blessing of being individuals is we will be able to customize what we are going to do with our gift of time. We must agree and be determined to give ourselves this gift to make sure we are refreshed, focused and working toward a goal of taking care of ourselves. We must classify ourselves as “Important” and “Valuable”!

Am or PM, it’s up to you to make change. And if you are one who has a history of not doing much for yourself on a daily bases then start small—crave out half an hour each day. Failure often comes for us because we bit off more than we can chew, have unrealistic expectations and become defeated before we become disciplined in a matter. 

Sisters there is much we can do and achieve with the gift of time we give ourselves—the sky’s the limit. We just have to do it. Join that sewing class you have been talking about and then spend time during the week sewing. Go check out the yoga class you think might help you feel better. Make sure you spend time talking and listening to God. Eat off paper plates so you won’t have dishes—put on music and dance for 15 minute—then take a hot bath. You can run around the block, go for a walk, talk on the phone to someone who makes you laugh, pick up an old hobby you used to love but somehow stopped doing. Just be sure to give yourself the gift of time each day, that’s all I’m asking you do.

Since we are commanded to love our neighbors as we love ourselves—we must work on loving and viewing ourselves as important—if we are to be a brighter light for others.

Until next week.....Blessings and Hugs

Ponnie