Tick-tock… Tick-tock… Tick-tock… Do you remember that sound? Perhaps you still have an old-fashioned Grandfather Clock that ticks out the seconds, and chimes the hours as they pass.

I don’t recall that we had a Grandfather clock when I was a child, but somewhere in our home there must have been a clock that ticked the minutes and chimed on the hours, because I can still remember the feeling of peace and contentment as I listened to that rhythm while I napped on the couch after lunch. The only sound was the tick-tock of minutes passing, while my mother quietly did whatever it was that a mother does while her 4 older children are in school and her 2 youngest nap peacefully after lunch. I loved that sound. I still do. I miss it. It was a peaceful rhythmic song that spoke to my young heart and said “all is well.”

Fast forward to today.  And I do mean FAST forward! I’m now much-much older than my mother was back when the peaceful clock was singing me to sleep. My own daughter is a beautiful, grown woman and my mother and father have been with the Lord for many years.  Time… it rushes by so fast. And we wish it away, as we long for weekends during our work week, and for yearly vacations, and for the next big family event. And swoosh! Another year or decade is gone.

Or we rush it away! One of my biggest regrets is the memory of hearing my own voice, far too often, echoing out “hurry up” to my only child, as we rushed to get to school, to work, to dance lessons, to church. Oh, how I wish I had slowed down back then, or could take back even a few of those many “hurry up’s ” and spend more peaceful time with my little girl. But the clock ticks, and the minutes and hours, the days and weeks, and the months and years go by…  Tick-tock.

I’m thinking a lot about time these days as I’m in yet another ‘hurry up’ mode ~ preparing to leave in less than two weeks for Trinidad and the women’s retreat I will have the honor of speaking at there. YIKES! Less than 12 days, and I’m still writing the 4 messages I will give, still working through the preparations with our team, still trying to finish all the things here at home that I need to get done before I go. Time. Oh how I wish I had more of it!

And yet, as I sat writing this week, asking the Lord to hurry up and get my brain to work so I could write four compelling, funny, deep and just plain fabulous messages, I heard His ‘still small voice’ whisper in my ear… “Be still.” Those words from Psalm 46:10 actually translate, “cease striving.” Wow! Cease striving Mary! Stop trying so hard – slow down – just BE with me! I’ll take care of the rest.

And I realized in those few moments with God, moments that seemed like hours, that time – which seems like my enemy right now as the days fly by and the time for preparation grows short – is a gift. God gives us each moment. Right now. No more. No less. We can’t go back to the past, it’s gone. And the future is not yet, and may never be. God gives us THIS minute. And He says, “Be still. Be in this moment, not the next, not the last, not next week. Be here – now. This is where I am with you. This is where you will hear My voice. This moment may be all I give you – use it wisely. REST with Me here, no matter what you’re doing – rest with Me in it.”

What a blessing that was for me. Am I ready for Trinidad? No, not yet. But I know I will be, if God chooses to give me the minutes – hours – days until we get there. Are there a thousand things I could be doing right now instead of writing this quarterly newsletter? Sure! But this is what I need to be doing with THIS minute. Someone needs to hear this. Is it you?

Be still… and know that He is God! Let this minute, while you are reading this little newsletter, be exactly what God wants it to be in you and for you. Treasure this minute. Then move on and treasure the next. Tick-tock… Tick-tock…  Tick-tock… Minute after minute… all Gifts from God.

Please pray for me and my little team of missionaries as we travel to Trinidad to give the women there the gift of time ~ a weekend away with God. When I return, I’m sure God will have given me amazing experiences and lessons to share with you all in the next JoyNews Quarterly. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts about today’s topic ~ the gift of time. Share your thoughts with us below!