Do you ever feel like you fall short in prioritizing time spent with the people you love most? I do. Time has a way of slipping through our fingers, no matter how hard we try to make every moment count.
Clocks represent the many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years we are privileged to breathe, create, love, influence, and celebrate the wonderful lives we’ve been given. But, sometimes, we fail to see time as a gift because our ‘to-do” lists demand so much of us. No wonder we fail to live life to the fullest or to be fully present in any one single moment.
Today, let’s celebrate the gift of time: past, present, and future. And let’s think of new ways to appreciate the gift we’ve been given.
Clocks hold a special place in my heart, whether they’re big, little, or various sizes in-between, whether they’re well-functioning or broken.
When it comes to decorating, there’s something special about tucking a clock next to a beautiful array of flowers that makes me feel good inside. Maybe because the gift of time represents all beautiful living things.
For me, time is always of essence. But, sometimes it’s good to slow down, let go of our stresses, pressures, and utter frustrations in the chaos of living and simply rearrange a table top, and perhaps even rearrange our thinking about the way we spend our time.
Spending time decorating our homes is an important part of creating an atmosphere reflecting the best part of ourselves. Home should be a place of peace and calm, a place where we retire from giving the world the gift of our time and concentrate on giving our families the best we have to offer.
One of the most important ways to spend our time is reading God’s Word with our children. Precious quality time spent with our big and little loves is something that never comes back void.
Parents, please take opportunity to explain that there is a time for everything according to God’s Word—a time to eat breakfast, a time to get dressed, a time to eat lunch, a time to play, a time to nap, a time to clean, a time to serve others, and a time to pray at the end of the day. Give your children the opportunity to share how they can best spend the gift of time they have each day. And spend your precious minutes on God and your family. You’ll never regret it.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
Everything (even decorations around our homes) becomes excellent teaching opportunities as we share the goodness of a God who transcends all time. After all, God is omnipresent (present everywhere and at all times), and omnipotent (having unlimited power, able to do anything).
Tell your children about the goodness of God and talk about His faithfulness in every season. Share how God is the gift of time.
“Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,” Deuteronomy 11:19-20 NIV.
A Time to Decorate:
Perhaps you have a clock that has stopped working. Instead of throwing it out, why not set it to a time that brought your heart joy (share your stories with your children):
Set the Time on Your Broken Clock to:
The time you got engagedThe time of your wedding ceremonyThe time of day your child was born and you became a mother. (This makes me smile just thinking about how great your children will feel as you share about the special moment they entered the world).The time of day you had a spiritual epiphany (one of those life-altering moments that literally transformed your life from a certain attitude to an attitude of gratitude).The time of day you became a believer in ChristThe time of day you were baptized. Or perhaps you might want to set the clock to the time of day your loved one went to heaven.
Teach your children to work hard and play hard. Challenge them to think about TIME as a cherished gift God gave to us so that we can give the precious gift of our time to others by serving, loving, and blessing them.
Take a Little Time to:
Take some cookies to a neighbor. Attach a note that reads: “Take some time to enjoy these cookies that were baked with love for you.”Encourage the entire family to help a widow with chores around her house. Mow the grass, wash the windows, or plant a few flowers.
I hope you experience the TIME OF YOUR LIFE decorating your home with clocks and celebrating the gift-of-time object lessons with those you love most. And whatever you do, don’t take a moment of your time together for granted.
By: LaTan Roland Murphy is a writer, speaker, and teacher who also has a decorating business – Interior Elegance by LaTan. LaTan loves encouraging families to be thankful for what they have and helping them use what they have to create beautiful things. (The decorations and pictures are originals of LaTan Murphy.) Visit LaTan at http://latanmurphy.com.
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