/**/ The Purposeful Wife: Monday's Resolution {Not to Lose a Moment}

Monday, July 23, 2012

Monday's Resolution {Not to Lose a Moment}

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We are picking apart Jonathan Edward's 70 Resolutions, one week and one resolution at a time. Don't forget to start where he did- "Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ's sake."

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

My paraphrase:


5. Resolved, never to waste even a minute of time; but to spend it in the most useful, productive, and beneficial way I possibly can.

Time; one of God's greatest gifts to us. Everybody has 24 hours in any given day, sixty minutes in an hour, and countless options on how to spend it.

How are you spending your time?

Jonathan Edwards resolved never to waste a minute. He saw value in even the most seemingly insignificant fractions of time. Think about it: one minute!

I waste lots of minutes each day. Five minutes lying in bed after my alarm goes off (well, really more like 15... or 20... or maybe I just shouldn't have brought it up...)- not really asleep, but not wanting to get out of bed just yet.

An extra minute looking in the mirror, even though I've done what I need to get ready for the day. Five minutes sitting in the car bored, waiting for my husband to get out of work.

One minute tapping my toe, annoyed that the pot isn't boiling yet. Just one more minute, browsing the never-sleeping, always-growing, conglomeration of meaningless information on the internet.

I don't see these little minutes as valuable. And yet, as gifts from a gracious God, even the "little" minutes count. The attitude I have in them and the way that I spend them will be a long term investment in my future (for better or for worse).

Sometimes as mom's we can be guilty of trying to "kill" time. Only 15 minutes til nap time.... what can I do to survive them? Speed through them? Etc.

What if we chose today to look at those 15 minutes as a blessing, and to seek to improve them in the best possible way?

Instead of grumbling and dying for that nap, what if we read to our babies, snuggled with them, played a game, and tried to enjoy them and love on them as best as we can?

What if instead of toe-tapping and growing frustrated, we walked in a spirit of prayer, talking with the Lord, and thanking Him for His blessings?

What if we sought to use all of our little minutes in the best way possible? Tidying a corner, wiping a counter, reading a couple paragraphs of a good book, or investing quality time in the littles?

We will never get those wasted moments of time back. Once spent, time evaporates and blurs into indistinct memories. 

I don't know how many minutes I have left. By God's grace, I want to start seeing each one as precious, and investing it into that which lasts forever.

So I ask again: How are you spending your time?

9 comments:

  1. Ouch.

    Wonderful post...but yes, the Holy Spirit is pricking my heart right now.

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    1. Yes, I am right here with you Mandy! It is an area we all struggle with I think.

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  2. PS...are you on twitter yet? ;-)

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    1. Haha NO! I'm scared.... ;)

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    2. Remember the whole time-wasting topic of this post? Lol.

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  3. As strange as it is to admit this, I find I spend far too much time on my laptop. Very thought provoking. Thank you for posting this.

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    1. I don't think it is a strange admission at all! Probably most of us spend too much time on our laptops!!! :) You're welcome, glad you found it helpful.

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  4. Thanks, Rachel! This morning I am sitting around, eating doughnuts with my husband. ;) But now that the dishwasher repairman is here & Michael has moved out back to do one of my unfinished projects, and the kids are happily enjoying some doughnut and "Dora" time, maybe I should go make the bed... ;) I needed this reminder very much--the subject has been on my mind a lot lately but still I have been failing!

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    1. There is nothing wrong with taking intentional time to relax and eat doughnuts :)- as long as it is intentional, and for a time :). It is an area I am constantly struggling with myself!

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