Values Blog
Be All There
“Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
I had a moment last Sunday. A few minutes—probably only seconds really—of crystal clear awareness in which I looked around, realized where I was, and felt completely all there. Please indulge me as I get personal, but I need to explain my thoughts. You see, we have a family band, and for the past several years we have been blessed to play music in many churches around our area. However, at 20, 18, and 16, my children are really no longer children, and these opportunities are becoming more and more rare. But last Sunday, we were all together. A small but vibrant congregation was singing and worshiping with us, and for that brief moment, I looked to my left where my oldest son was smiling and playing guitar and then to my right where I saw my daughter singing with her eyes closed and her heart on her sleeve, my husband playing bass fiddle and sharing the Good News of Jesus, and my youngest son playing sweet mandolin, and I wanted to shout, “This is the day the Lord has made! Rejoice and be glad in it!” It was an “all there” moment. Like when the movie stops and the credits roll. A picture I will carry in my heart always.
And it made me wonder. Why don’t I feel that way more often? After all, I have 24 hours every day. That’s 1440 minutes—moments in time that I barely acknowledge. I run through them as busy and oblivious as the next person and reach the couch in the evening without really being able to tell you what I’ve done with the time. Sure, I have stuff to do, things that have to be taken care of, lists to check off, but am I mostly wasting my time? And is it really my time at all?
In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes, “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk … making the most of the time.” And a more contemporary missionary, Jim Elliot, said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” Yes! Sitting at your desk writing a tedious report for the hundredth time? Be all there. Doing the same laundry for the same people week after week? Be all there. Collecting garbage, treating patients, going to meetings, rocking babies, studying for tests, or peeling potatoes— wherever you are, whatever you are doing, be all there. This is the day the Lord has made. This is the moment He has given you. This very minute is a gift from God.
Are you paying attention? Are you acting wisely? Are you making the most of the time? Look to your left. Now look to your right. Stop running and take a moment to breathe. Who has God put around you? Who can you touch in His name? How can you reach out to experience and make the most of this moment? This is the day He has made. Rejoice in it. Be glad in it. Make it count—because it counts to Him. And wherever you are, be all there.
Father, You have given me this moment to spend as I choose. Also, give me Your wisdom to make the most of it. Thank You for the people and the opportunities You place around me. Help me to pay careful attention to them, and may my time here bring You glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
[By Lisa Huddleston]
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