Redeeming the Time

It's funny how we can get so caught up with 'life' that we forget to truly 'live'. It's easy to fall into a rut. We've all been there at one point or another when our lives become complacent. We do the same things, go to the same places, take the same routes to get there and if we are not careful we could let go off dreams that we had dreamed and end up looking back on a life that may or may not have been filled with good times but also with possible regrets.

At a Bible study recently we were talking about making every moment count. Not wasting the very limited amount of time that we have been given. We also talked about the fact that the people who we dreamed of becoming may not be who we are today. Personally I had wanted to grow up to be like my dad. He loved God and people and people everywhere loved him. He was a good man. He never missed an opportunity to be kind or generous. He wasn't wealthy by any means but he sure taught us to be thankful for what we had. Some of those values will stay with me forever and as I get older I see more of those characteristics in me. But I'm sure my dad did not have to deal with the 'crazy' that comes every month when you are a woman. :) It might be a tad more difficult for me.

I look back on my life and I definitely have regrets. Some due to my own choices but others due to the circumstances that I was thrust into. Dreams that I had, have been swallowed up by other demands on my life. But is that an excuse? At some point I believe we get chances to pick up where we left off. The catch is that it sometimes takes work. Actually more often than not it takes a lot of hard work and discipline to achieve some of the things we want in life.

One of my dreams is to be an author, that means that I have to discipline myself to write. Even when I don't feel like it. Even when I want to scrap the whole thing and start over. Even when it seems like everything else in my life is more important at that moment. If I want it, then it's on me! I love writing my blog but I get so busy I forget to keep up, I have to decide I am going to do this and schedule times to write like any other appointment I might have. Plus, I think it's important to use the gifts and talents that God has given us. One of my favorite quotations is by Henry David Thoreau: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."

I want to let my song be heard. How about you? I think I need to re-acquaint myself with some of the dreams in my heart especially since God is the Dream-Giver. I'd say it will be worth the extra effort!