stewarding our seconds

Have you ever been somewhere you never wanted to leave?

Maybe a vacation? A sporting event? Concert or conference? Did thought of freezing time seem very appealing?

What made that time so special? Was it where you were or more about the people you were with? Did the combination of the two create an unexpected joy and contentment? 

Life Action Family Camp

We have recently returned home from Life Action Family Camp in Buchanan, Michigan.  Our family considers this to be one of our greatest weeks of the year.  This seems to be “our time” that we never want to come to an end. 

The week was filled with dedicated sessions of digging into God’s Word as well as focused breakout times both as a family and couple.  This time allowed us to strategize as a family on how we could apply these truths/thoughts into our daily rhythms of life.  

There were also extended spaces of time in the afternoon to play games and enjoy being together as a family.  

By the end of the week, we left refreshed and renewed in our walk with the Lord and in our family relationships. (If you have never heard of Life Action or their summer family camp, I would highly encourage you to check out their website www.lifeactioncamp.com) 

As we sat under their teaching, most every idea presented seemed like a great one!  The endpoints led to a more intimate walk with Jesus, a strengthened marriage with improved communication or practical ideas on how to parent with a more Gospel-centered approach.  Who would not want that?  

And so we are a few weeks out from camp, a mountain top experience you might say.   Why can the struggle to apply these great ideas exist? 

The True Battle 

As I ponder this, I am quickly reminded of where the true struggle lies – not with flesh and blood, not our physical realm but rather the supernatural one, right?  

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12)

So, Now What?

As I contemplated how easy it can be to become overwhelmed and want to resign our good intentions, I felt the Lord prompt my heart with the idea of “stewarding my seconds”.  

Lord, what does that mean?

As I thought more on those words He pressed upon my heart, I was encouraged.  If I am able to actively engage and remain in the present, diligently seeking what He would have me to do, then He promises to give me the grace and strength to do it.  

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. “(2 Cor 12:9)

 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor 4:7-9)  

So In My Life This Means…..

Webster’s Dictionary defines steward as “one who manages or looks after another’s property”. 

Could this be applied to us? 

Is our time really “our time”?

Or is it perhaps….

His?

As we steward each second He has given us, our seconds become minutes and our minutes, hours and so forth.  

I can easily feel defeat swallow me up when thinking of the momentous task of raising kids, making meals, cleaning the house, school, adding in work outside the home. 

Or take even a smaller segments of time such as family Bible time – the chaos, dispute settling, and frustrations that lead me to feel inadequate to even try to lead  (although I am completely inadequate apart from Christ!) times where I feel no Gospel truths will sink in.  

In complete transparency, there are times in which I feel just walking through the day itself seems insurmountable!  

These are enemy-targeted spaces, no doubt.

What My Days Can Look Like

It is then, that I must remind myself that God, living inside me in the person of the Holy Spirit, promises to give me His “sufficient grace” for the moment.  

For THIS moment.  

All of a sudden this perspective shifts the lense from which I perceive the daunting task of whatever I may be in, in this moment.  This can also breathe hope into my heart in a day gone wayward.  

This second, then the next and so on…I CAN be faithful to do the work He has called me to do in this small space of time because He has sourced the strength to do so.  

I CAN because He IS….He is faithful!  I have the grace I need!  

As I reflect on this, I feel His victory rise up within!

No longer am I only seeing the arduous jobs. They become, rather, opportunities to claim His faithfulness of extending grace. Grace for the “right now”.  

As these new thoughts and perspectives unfold, I am obviously not living in this space all the time.  I am asking Him to work this deep into my heart and mind.  I am asking Him to enable me to reside here more than where I naturally seem to default too.  

There was a great quote from Annie Dillard shared at Family Camp.  “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” 

I think we can extrapolate even further to say, “how we spend our seconds becomes our day, and thus in turn, our lives.”  That can be an eye-opening thought!  

What if we stopped thinking of our day as a whole? As a fixed space of twenty-four hours?

What if we rather chose to see and steward each second of our days individually? The second we are presently in. 

All of a sudden, pursuing faithfulness and obedience to the Lord begins to seems possible!  Possible in His strength.

A lifetime of these seconds can build a life that one day may hear the words “ Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt 25:21)

Blessings as we consider how we view our moments differently….through His eyes.  

This is my prayer for us, that He would enable us to be fully present in each second, receiving the grace He has for us. May we glimpse and be encouraged that our moment-by-moment diligence will yield a life lived for His glory! 

References:

Webster’s Dictionary

Annie Dillard