Redeeming the time

Dear friends,

what are your goals for the lockdown period?

You may think I am kidding, but I am serious.

And I have been asking myself that question too…

Did we ever think about how we would use this time of seclusion and separation and more space because of less business/less busy-ness?

In my walk with GOD, I came to see that every situation my life has been in has been full of blessings and opportunities and that every situation I’ve been in has been an invitation and opportunity to get closer to GOD.

And I am not talking about those moments when GOD is blessing us… these are great moments, full of joy and bliss and gratitude… it is not a challenge at all to feel loved and cared for and blessed by GOD (and by life or other people) in those moments and they are obviously good moments and everybody can easily appreciate them and appreciate THE FATHER for having given them great gifts as these.

No, I am talking about finding the blessings in every situation.

Sometimes, what we ourselves perceive as a catastrophe can even bear a blessing inside, in fact, it is my thesis that everything in our lives deserves giving thanks to GOD – only that sometimes, it may be a little harder to understand the goodness of HIM and the goodness of what is happening to us.

I understand that COVID-19 is particularly hard for some people – and please, if you are in a difficult or even threatening situation, don’t think I am mocking you – I’ve been there myself and I pray for people who are in danger because of this every day!

And I do understand that GOD has immensely blessed me and kept me during this time!
That HE has granted me exceptionally stable circumstances – I am even sure HE took me out of many, many dangerous circumstances right in time before the lockdown started!

I do understand:
Many people have lost their jobs, their businesses, perhaps even their homes… me, I have been blessed with a job that is still there and still pays as well and I have a home and GOD enabled me to pay the rent and keep my home…

Nevertheless, I, too, have been going through some stuff though during this time, I believe everybody had to – and I am beginning to think that this is one of the blessings for all of us in this:
that GOD wanted us to face our “issues” and not be able to run away from them.

Before the lockdown, we were busy, running around, from here to there, occupying ourselves, aka distracting ourselves, not necessarily, but perhaps also from GOD, but definitely from the things we may have been needing to face for some time now.

I don’t know what your situation is and I don’t know what you are having to face at this point in time and especially now that you may not be able to go out and about as before and you may not be able to do many other things you have done before this worldwide pandemic affected us all – though in different ways.

But for me, there have been some skeletons hiding in my closet, and I did a great job to hide them – mostly from myself!! – but then, when I was here at home so much and so often, they just came out and stared at me… stared me right in my face, and I was unable to keep pretending they were not there.

How about you, my friend?

Has this time brought you some clarity?

Perhaps some clarity you did not even care to have?

Or has something come up and has literally “haunted” you?
Something you just had to deal with?
And I am not only talking about practical issues, even those of us who did manage to create some level of stability in regards to finances and home, they may have had to face some health issues or spiritual battles instead…

What was it for you, my friend?

And perhaps it was even your first test of faith?
For many people, who may not have been through many storms and trials in their lives, this may be the first opportunity to test their faith and to see if they can come out stronger – be it that they are very young of age and this lockdown is their first challenge or may it be that they were not really serious before with GOD and now, they realized that this life is actually not a picnic – at least not all the time – and that they need a rock to stand on and to hide under, someone who will never change, never go away, and it may be very dis-empowering at first to discover that there is nobody and nothing……. until they discover JESUS.

For those of us who are already a little older (in age and/ or in their faith), we may have already discovered GOD – good for us if we have.

But have we also learned to appreciate HIM, bless HIM, thank HIM – no matter the circumstances?

Are we redeeming the time?

Ephesians 5:16
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Even this current time?

Are we using it, making the most of it?

Or are we wasting it by murmuring or lamenting or letting the outer circumstances distract us from GOD?
Or are we making excuses or letting our faith faint because of a worldwide crisis that is nothing more and nothing less, a “world”wide crisis?

And have we understood that not only is there a time for everything, but also there is a blessing in every time?
For US – as children of GOD?
And that GOD wants us to use whatever time we have – for HIM and HIS kingdom?

Me, I have been in very challenging situations before – also financially… so this may not be the topic for me at this point in time, but I know from my own walk with CHRIST that we need to overcome… challenges, doubts, accusations, issues, illnesses, hurt, attacks, all the wiles of the devil.

And there is absolutely NO time where we do not need GOD, no time when HE is not there with us and for us and no time when we are not called to fight the enemy and fight for GOD – the more the enemy tries to lure us away, the more we are called to stay focused and faithful and loyal to GOD and to walk with HIM, not with the devil – no matter how great or how threatening or how distracting his snares may be.

Dear friends,

let’s do our best to maximize this time, this opportunity and let’s search deep for what we may be able to do now more than ever before.

Me, I found some “projects” and areas I need to work on, some of them I have been putting off for a very long time… and I pray that GOD will help me, that HE will help US.

What is it that you found, dear friend?

What does GOD want you to work on or accomplish or clean up or change or analyze or get over, get rid of, face, battle, overcome?

I pray that this will inspire, encourage, bless and heal you. And that THE LORD will bless you richly in all areas of your life, that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you peace. In JESUS’ name I pray. AMEN.