Making the Most of Your Time

One of the most valuable things in life is your time. Time is priceless and you can't get it back no matter how hard you try. Prioritizing our time is essential in today's world because everything is vying for our attention - social media, television, career aspirations just to name a few. These things are not necessarily bad but spending too much time on any one of them can rob us of life's most precious moments.

Seeing how fast my children are growing up has caused me to grasp just how fast time goes by. My oldest will be off to college in 2 years. Wait! What? How did that happen? I now see with more clarity the importance of taking it all in and making sure I'm fully living in the moment. As the saying goes, "the days are long but the years are short". Therefore, making the most of my time is vital.

My son Kolbi

Recently a lovely woman at Target gazed at my family as we prepared to check out. Camden was asking me to buy literally every item in the check out aisle while Brennan was playing with the conveyor belt in the woman's personal space. A.T. and I apologized but she quickly reassured us it was no problem. She went on to explain she has three children off in college so she understands our current situation. I suddenly realized why she had been watching my family. It wasn't because my kids were annoying her.  She was actually reminiscing about her motherhood journey. The look on her face helped me understand the reality that they do grow up, move out, and move on with their lives. I know this is the course of life but it happens more quickly than I realized and I needed that reminder.

I'm learning day by day to appreciate the time I have with my loved ones. I want to be sure I'm not missing the current moments worrying about what's to come. I want to establish, build, and cultivate relationships that have a lasting impact. I want to be able to look back on my life and say I truly lived. I want to make the most of my time.

Friends, continue to make the most of your time. Spend time with family and friends. Build relationships. Don't end up with regrets because you didn't prioritizing time for things that truly matter. Remember, time is priceless and you can't get it back so strive to make every moment count.


In Christ,
Alissa



"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV

"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:15-17

Mic Check... Colombia Edition!

My husband, son, and I were blessed with the opportunity to travel to Bogota, Colombia for a mission trip a couple weeks ago. I didn't know what to expect but was excited for God to reveal himself on the trip. I still don't have adequate words to describe the people, sights, and events that took place. The relationships formed with the locals and our own team was extraordinary. Our team organized a sports camp, helped with a homeless ministry, visited numerous churches, performed concerts, shared our testimonies at a drug rehab facility, and were regular awestruck tourists during our time there.

Beautiful Bogota, Colombia

One of my favorite moments was when our teammate Aaron, better known by his Christian rap stage name Canon, and one of the young men at the drug rehab facility battle rapped. The gentleman confidently went bar for bar with Canon. The mood was electrifying yet God-honoring. I could tell the young man felt his gifting come alive. Hearing them rap in English and Spanish, respectively, is a memory I will treasure forever.

Witnessing that young man, who has been down in the throws of life and currently seeking redemption, rap about God made my heart feel like it was going to burst out of my chest from happiness and joy. God's sovereignty in allowing Canon to be on our trip and be an inspiration to him was and still is amazing to me. It was not planned for the two of them to rap together. I believe the spontaneity of the moment is probably what made it even more special. I absolutely love how God shows himself in so many different ways and different circumstances.

Outside Drug Rehab Facility

Building relationships with people and helping them find ways to honor God with their lives is my passion. I love seeing people come to the realization that the unique way God made them is enough for God. This moment exemplified perfectly how God can use our unique gifts to bring glory to Him even when it's outside of the norm. It aches my heart when people look down on things outside the norm of western Christianity. Some may even go so far as to demean someone's gift. There are diverse audiences who need something different - something outside the norm. As long as the gospel is central and God is the object of our affection I believe it will be God-glorifying.

Friends, your gift may not look like other people's gift. Your gift may not attract everyone but for the audience God has for you I say go for it with the best of your ability. God wants to use you for His kingdom and for His glory. Sometimes it may take going outside the norm to reach people in your path. Don't be afraid to take risks and use your God-given gifts.

In Christ,
Alissa

Loving Others Well

Watching the elementary age students in my sons’ school cafeteria on Friday was inspiring. The children were so excited not because of lunch but because of the two gentlemen sitting at the end of the table before they reached the serving line. I witnessed each child, no matter their race or gender, wait in anticipation of reaching the gentlemen. The children and gentlemen exchanged either a high five, fist bump, or their favorite handshake. It was so sweet seeing the children wait in line to be acknowledged with a loving embrace. They had smiles on their faces and appeared to honestly be in the moment.

One would think the gentlemen were special guests or possibly the principal/leadership of the school. Actually, they were the custodians/janitors at the school. I’ve visited the cafeteria on numerous occasions during both of my sons’ lunch periods and noticed the same loving gestures. I can describe those moments in two words: pure joy.

You see many people may look down on these gentlemen because they think the jobs are not important enough or high enough on the success ladder. Children, however, are great at figuring out the authenticity of a person. The children adore these men and quite honestly the men adore them as well. They didn't care about the position the men held. They realize the men care about them and that's all that matters.

Growing up my mom's profession was a janitor/custodian as well. She cleaned her elementary school with excellence. She took pride in making sure the school was in the best shape it could be. The children loved her and still remember her even 20-30 something years later. Mrs. Linda, as they called her, holds a special place in many of the children's hearts until this day. People still tell me stories they remember about my mom and what she did for them while they attended her school. I believe she made an impact on those children and the gentlemen at my sons' school will continue to make an impact on their children as well.

Maybe all of us can learn from these children and not assign dignity or worth to a human being based on WHAT they do. Instead we should love others because of WHO they are. We need to treat everyone with respect because they are worthy of respect. God assigned dignity and worth to all His creation. How dare we as the created try to change what the Creator set in motion. Let's not think too highly of ourselves believing we are better than others. Truly, it doesn't matter your job position as long as you are positioned in right standing with Christ and reflecting His glory in all you do. 

Look to the gentlemen and my mother as an example of loving others well. Strive to make an impact in someone's life no matter our position or theirs. People are looking for authenticity and compassion. Give it to them freely because you know they are worthy of the investment. 

In Christ,

Alissa

"Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men." Colossians 3:23 HCSB

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." Romans 12:3 NIV