The Gift of Time

Servant Leader,

There’s a gift you can give this Christmas that will mean more to those that matter than anything money can buy.

The reality of your Christmas season may seem to be a never-ending combination of deadlines, programs, parties, and looming preparations for the New Year… not to mention the kind of crowds and traffic that would try the patience of Job. Still, there are moments to be had and memories to be made with your family and close friends if you will determine to seize them from the Grinch-like grip of all the craziness. You can create a different reality.

Erwin McManus writes in his classic, Chasing Daylight, “Moments move in a timely manner, and time waits for no one. Though it may seem to be the case, time never stands still. And like petals of a rose, moments fall to the ground once there is no life in them. Moments are to be treasured – not just the moments that you’ve already lived, but the moments brimming with life. I can say with confidence this is your moment. There may well be many moments waiting behind this one, and though the most significant moments of your life may still be moments away, the moment you’re in right now awaits to be seized.”

This Christmas redeem time from the hurry and worry and insane pace of it all. Determine to recapture the miracle of “Emmanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23) as you get alone with the Lord. Especially for ministry leaders, don’t let this get lost in the overtime of church duties. Then, purpose to recreate that same sense of His presence as you share some unhurried moments with your family and close friends. Perhaps there is a divine moment waiting as you slow down enough to meet the needs of a stranger? Perhaps in that moment Emmanuel will be closer than you think?

My challenge to you is this… give the gift that money can’t buy. Give those that really matter the gift of just one undistracted moment. Give the gift of time.

There’s no time like the present,

Tom