Time Is Never Wasted When Given to God

By Mary Chalhoub

I admit that waiting is hard to do. It is in the waiting that God perfects us as He prepares His best for us. As children often do, we get impatient when it's not given to us immediately. We try to make it happen on our own and then get hurt and disappointed and wonder why God let this happen to us. Then we take it a step further by blaming God because it didn't work out as we had planned.

One day, when I was 18 years old, I remember hanging out with my close girlfriends. We were imagining what our lives would be like in 10 years and one of my friends blurted out, "Who do you think will get married first from our group?" They simultaneously answered, "Mary!" They knew that marriage was a strong desire of mine, even at a young age.
While in Pharmacy School, I met someone whom I thought was "the one." We fell for each other and began making plans to become engaged shortly after graduation day. Those tough study years were about to set my world in motion. The roadmap of my life was all planned out. I would get married, have a career, we would have children, and live happily ever after.

Just one week before I received my diploma, the relationship ended. I was crushed. The feeling of being blindsided overwhelmed me; I didn't see it coming! It took two very long years to get over that relationship. Looking back, it wasn't so much that I struggled with getting over him as it was with allowing the dream of how life was "supposed to happen" die.

After the breakup, I made a vow to God. I promised not to have a boyfriend until GOD confirmed the one I was suppose to marry. I believed that in God's timetable, it might be one or two years before he prepared "the one" for me, but that wasn't the case. It took 10 long years!

During those years, I think every person I knew tried to set me up with every person they knew; their brother, cousin, friend, or coworker. Remember the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? It was something like that, but honestly, I wasn't interested in a set up; I was too busy falling in love with someone I least expected to be falling in love with.

I grew up in a traditional church, but somehow in all of those years, I didn't know God was really like a Father. He was seeking a relationship with me all along, yet I had never realized that He was really alive. I began to experience things I never knew about God as I journaled and studied the Word. The more I learned of Him, the more I realized that He had always been there, loving me and in His loving me, I began seeing Him for the first time. Soon, I began to find places to serve Him in the church, in mission fields, and even at home. I even attended several ministry schools as I was hungry for more of Him.

All of my girlfriends got married and had children during those ten years. I felt forgotten in a sense. My unspoken complaint to God was, "Here I am serving you God. Why haven't you given me the desires of my heart? I come from a good family, I am a practicing professional and I am a social person. What's the deal?" Knowing you can't fight against God, I finally got to the point of just accepting that it may never happen. I gave up! And a few weeks after that very moment, I met my husband.

Looking back, it wasn't that there was anything wrong with me; it was simply God's timing. Within the first four years of marriage, we had three children. It was as if God restored all of the years I had waited, and in waiting and serving God, I gained the most valuable lessons of life. I am so thankful for that!

Trust His timing; it's never too late. He can and will restore all things. He has given me life filled with joy unspeakable and the understanding that nothing, absolutely nothing, was wasted.

You may have old wounds and worries about your wasted years. Allow God to restore the years to you that were taken away, then press on confidently in joy. He IS your hope and your future.

Please visit our website at http://www.kingdomroar.com/ as we grow!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Chalhoub
http://EzineArticles.com/?Time-Is-Never-Wasted-When-Given-to-God&id=7970532
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Make the most of TODAY!

Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day.

Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course?

Each of us has such a bank. It's name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.

Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to a good purpose.

It carries over no balance. It allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day.

If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against "tomorrow."

You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!

The clock is running!! Make the most of today.

To realise the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realise the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realise the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realise the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realise the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who just missed a train.

To realise the value of ONE SECOND, ask someone who just avoided an accident.

To realise the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal at the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with. And remember time waits for no one.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why its called the present.

- Author Unknown
 Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How valuable is your time?

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!! Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of today.

• To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
• To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
• To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. .
• To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
• To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
• To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
• To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.

- Author Unknown
photo credit: BramstonePhotography via photopin cc

THERE COMES A TIME

A time comes in your life when you finally get it... When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on.

Like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening. You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world there aren't always fairytale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop bitching and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in the process a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness. You realize that much of the way you view yourself, and the world around you, is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. And you begin to sift through all the crap you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look and how much you should weigh, what you should wear and where you should shop and what you should drive, how and where you should live and what you should do for a living, who you should sleep with, who you should marry and what you should expect of a marriage, the importance of having and raising children or what you owe your parents.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with and in the process you learn to go with your instincts. You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings into a relationship.

You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love.... and you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms... just to make you happy. And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely...

You look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up."

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK.... and that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things that you want...and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. And, you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you to glorify you with his touch... and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect.

And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn, that for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve... and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help.

You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time... FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It's just life happening.

And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state - the ego. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever to settle for less than your heart's desire. You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

- Author Unknown
photo credit: Βethan via photopin cc