If you had to identify one thing keeping you from being and pursuing who you are called to be, what would that one thing be?
I bet many of us would give variations of the same answer: “Not. Enough. Time.”
We are constantly bombarded with the dilemma of having too much of everything—work, friends, commitments, distractions—and just not enough time to do it all, especially when it comes to pursuing the things that we’re passionate about and that are in line with our sense of God-given purpose. We think that if only we had more time…more hours in a day…then we would do what we really want to be doing.
But is shortage of time really the problem?
Let’s peer into the Bible for a moment to discover the real Truth about time from God’s perspective:
- God is the Creator of Time. The Book of John starts out by saying, “He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it—including time! So to say we “don’t have enough time” is to say God didn’t create enough of it to provide for what we need. Ouch.
- God is the Giver of Time. When we are walking in close fellowship with the Lord, there is no such thing as lack, especially when it comes to time: “Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing” (Psalm 34:9). We each get exactly 1,440 minutes per day, 10,080 minutes per week and 525,600 minutes per year. As C. S. Lewis once said, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” When we think about time, it helps to remember that God knew what He was doing when He created it and knows exactly how much of it we need!
- God is Outside of Time. The Psalmist remarks, “…he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121: 3b-4). God does not live within the same time limitations as humans. This means He is available to protect us and provide all we need as He calls us to live within the time parameters He gave us.
So how do these Biblical Truths about time influence the way we live? When we look at the life of Jesus, we can see how closely his sense of time was tied to his sense of purpose. Jesus himself says,
“…the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.”
John 18:37
Jesus was single-minded when it came to who he was and what he was put on this earth to do. Knowing his purpose fueled his priorities and how he spent each hour of every day.
Do you know your purpose?
If you do, that is great. Keep going and let it fuel your priorities. If you are still discovering your purpose, that is okay too. Sometimes it takes time and life experience to discover what God has made you for. For some of us, it will even look different in different seasons of life. The important thing is that we are looking for our purpose and asking God to reveal it to us so that our sense of purpose can shape our priorities.
Ravi Zacharias once said, “The search for meaning is the most critical search that any human being has.” I love that. And I happen to agree. For Christians, knowing Christ gives us instant meaning. But even beyond that, God gives us gifts, talents and passions, which put together make up our sense of purpose.
So I’ll ask again: what is your purpose? Do not delay, begin to think and meditate on these things and God will show you the way, one step at at a time.
(This post is adapted from an article published in The Brink magazine)
*Sometimes discovering our sense of calling and purpose in life can be challenging, if not confusing! If this is you, would you consider the possibility of exploring life purpose coaching? If you are interested, check out how to connect with me on my life coaching page here.I look forward to hearing from you!