Redeeming the Time

I was told once that I am an expert at wasting time; it was in good context I was entertaining a bunch of kids in the middle of a storm with complete randomness. However the statement was a true one.  I am adept at wasting time.  I am very capable of spending hour after hour doing absolutely nothing of value.  On top of that I almost never get bored.  I am very easily entertained by the most ridiculous things, which is often a great thing; but it means that I don’t always feel driven to do useful things.   Take someone who doesn’t always jump to action, give them an abundance of free time and you have a recipe for potential disaster.

Of course there is another option, instead of wasting the time before me, I can redeem it.  I can use it for good things.  I can use the same creativity that I use to find ways to be entertained by nothing to do things that have substance.  Over the past few years I’ve spent time doing work that I didn’t enjoy, that I wasn’t terribly good at, and often felt that the time was wasted  The main point of leaving that work was to start living a life that is not wasted.  To start redeeming the time I’ve been giving and living each day fully. 

The question becomes what does that look like?  Does it mean I should run out and find ways to save the world?  Does it mean I should fill every waking moment with charitable deeds?  I’m still not sure yet.  I’m still grappling with what a full abundant life looks like for me.  So far today it has looked like some time in the Word,  A few cups of coffee,  a few loads of laundry, packing up Christmas decorations, moving furniture,  cooking a roast, doing some dishes, enjoying an orange cat’s company, catching up on e-mail, sending some texts, checking on my facebook friends and now writing this Blog.  I haven’t saved the world yet, but the day is still young.

There’s a freedom to having so much time before me but I also believe that I have the responsibility to use it well.  Time is a gift, a resource that should be used intentionally.  I’m still working on how living intentionally looks in my life, but it is something I am trying to learn.  It’s not a lesson that I have mastered yet, but moment by moment I’m finding better ways to redeem these days and use them well.