Friday Free Time

Free time - what’s that? Truly “free” time is something we’ve totally lost sight of, I think. Really, there seems to be little “free” time. And yet, the demands on our time ( in a family with special needs) really do seem unavoidable.

But late last year, I became aware I was repeatedly using the same comment in response to questions about whether or not I had “accomplished” certain things. I kept hearing myself say, “I don’t have enough time.” I used that phrase to reply to my husband, to my friends, and even to God while praying. It was the use of it in my prayers that created the feeling of uneasiness which later peaked when I heard an interview with Sara Groves. She is a Christian vocal artist and was discussing how her life has been changed… relating to the use of her time. She relayed this story about how she began to view the incomplete use of her life’s resources…

Sara on her Spiritual Buffalo...
“There is a scene in the movie Dances with Wolves where the Sioux are on a much anticipated buffalo hunt. As they come up over a hill, they are shocked to see a field full of buffalo carcasses. The tragedy of that moment is that where the Sioux use every piece of the buffalo—the bladder holds water, the bone makes a tool, the skin is a covering for a tent- whoever has done this has taken the best part of the buffalo for himself and has left everything else to waste. There is no way to make good use of all that is lying in this field.

I was so convicted when I went to Africa that I am not using all of my spiritual buffalo. I have developed this one side of my personal relationship with God. I go to church, I have incredible worship, and I listen to incredible speakers. I have money to buy devotionals, and leisure time to do those devotionals. I have spent a lifetime grooming a personal faith in Christ, but have I been taking the best piece of the buffalo for myself? There has been a joy in discovering the good use of my life. There is a reciprocal redemption that happens when we enter into stories of helping our neighbor—not just around the world, but in our own communities. When I came home from Africa, instead of feeling guilty for my life, I began to hear God in a very clear way say, ‘that thing carries water, that thing makes a tool, that is covering for a tent.’ There is a beauty to the good use of a life, and to the acknowledgment that everything you have and do has a Kingdom purpose."

Now, I've begun to see my own incredible waste of time, and how it was caused by my lack of focusing on priorities and not using every moment (and every gift) that I have been given. I’m not talking about the “over-scheduling” that I referred to as I began this article. I am not talking about reducing sleep and rest periods. I AM talking about “not wasting” the minutes and hours in my days… and the abilities and treasures I’ve been gifted with, the relationships and the partnerships I’ve been given an opportunity to enter into, and the knowledge I’ve been given of the Most High God.

Now, I have a goal of lessening my wastefulness… making more choices to be useful, and to be aware of the unique opportunities that I have to allow my circumstances (and my reactions to them) to bring glory to God. I don’t mean to say that I want (or could handle) a life scheduled to the maximum. Of course I couldn’t handle that! I simply want to share that I’ve been impressed that my life’s impact can be MORE than just the sum of my days.

I’ve changed my mind about wanting “free time”. I want instead to freely use and give my time and resources. I want to lessen my waste of time and other resources. I want to make a real difference by the way I use what I have been gifted with... and I pray that God will receive the glory for it.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,"

Colossians 3:23

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