For all my married women out there, have you ever had a moment where sleep was more desirable than “sandwich-making”. Or a time when you didn’t feel like assisting the little one in recreating that Lego structure (for the third time). What about work? You ever walk in there and say to yourself, “I don’t want to be here”. Well, I have. All three of those and some more. Our time and existence is too precious, and no moment should feel unimportant or not necessary. But I wonder, how do you make every moment count in order to make every moment purposeful?
Making every moment count is not always enjoyable or convenient. We must always have the big picture or end result in mind. But we cannot be so forward thinking that we miss out on today. When we take the time to discern the significance of a moment or situation, and we act accordingly, we save time because we don’t have to rectify a situation or repeat it because we failed to make it count the first time. And we don’t waste time on things or people who are not a part of our big picture. Every second of every day may not be essential for your purpose, but you must manage each second appropriately.
So how do we pull it together in order to make every moment count? One thing, is don’t be lazy (Proverbs 31:27). Laziness is more an attitude than it is an adjective or verb. I believe laziness happens when you cease to care. So if you find yourself being lazy in an area, rekindle that relationship or the passion for that thing. The Proverbs 31 woman possesses strength and honor (25). These are gained through experience with the world and people around us. If we don’t take the time to engage in the people and things around us our relationships will be weak and lack growth, which ultimately slows your pursuit of purpose, and different opportunities will pass you by, causing you to miss moments that will count towards your purpose.
Proverbs 31:22 is probably the most important. Making every moment count requires that you interact with others. And making a moment count may mean that someone else gets the immediate benefit and not you. Over time this wears you down because you are constantly giving to others and no one is giving things of substance to you. You don’t even spend time making yourself count. We lose ourselves pushing everyone else to their purpose. But verse 22 speaks of the P31 doing something for herself.
By nature we want to make sure everyone is taken care of and if we take a moment for ourselves, we treat it as a wasted moment because we could have been spending it on something else, for someone else. But moments spent on ourselves are moments that refuel and strengthen us. If we are weak and tired, we do the bare minimum and even eliminate things that may be necessary, ultimately cheating ourselves out of the chance to make a moment count, because we never gave that moment the chance to exist.
So as you enter your new year and as I enter my new year, I pray that we on purpose make every moment count. Even if that means shutting down foolishness or being hated by others. Your greater purpose is so important that no one will be able to rob you of your time. And always remember that moments spent on yourself are also moments that count toward your purpose, so do not pass them up.
References: Proverbs 31:22,25,27
