Life can be a whirlwind; dizzying with all of its deadlines, appointments, events and errands that leave little time, if any at all, for family. friends and fun… much less rest and relaxation. It’s this whirlwind of busyness that so often whisks us away and clouds our focus with our day to day agendas.
There’s always something to do. Our every minute will seem to fill itself with a forgotten task or an unexpected event that requires immediate attention. If we let them, these things will take over our day and we’ll find ourselves- as I often do- at the end of the day wondering how all the time we thought we had vanished so quickly.
It’s up to us to set our prioritize and manage our time. And not just for ourselves. Who we are, what we know and the resources we have access to are all gifts from God to be used for the benefit of His kingdom. What does that mean? It means we each have a unique life experience and a divinely orchestrated sphere of influence. Each one of us has the capacity to impact the people we encounter on a daily basis- our friends, our family members, the grocery store cashier or the teller at the bank- but we have to have the presence of mind in the moment, the compassion for others and the conscious intention to be the light Jesus has called us to be.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. Paraphrased from Gandhi, these words call each of us to take initiative and take action to make a difference. The true quote reads,
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
We must choose to make the change, thereby choosing to make the difference. What change? We change the way we invest our time, our energy and our resources.
Invest in people, not things. Take time to get to know someone by listening to their story, their needs and their dreams. Commit to helping others by doing a good deed for someone less fortunate or by supporting a friend during a difficult time in their life. Give of yourself and your resources to provide for someone in need and to advance the Kingdom of God. Donations to established charitable organizations or your home church go a long way to make a difference in the lives of the people and communities they serve.
The Bible compels us to do this very thing. Matthew 5:16 says, “…let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (NLT)
They see Him through us. If we’re the only light that may ever shine their way, we must shine brightly to make an unmistakeable difference. But first, we must get past our own whirlwind.