How Much Time?

      I've been thinking about time a lot this past week and it just hit me yesterday in a whole new way. Time really does matter epsically when you are talking about sharing the Lord with someone.  I'm apart of a lot of different groups/friends that have different things going on in their lives and I got to thinking about time. Lately, I have just been taking the time just to sit and relax whether it is for reading, writing, or even just talking to friends. We need to make time for that in today's world. Sad but true. We need to sit out that one or two volleyball games and just go sit the whole time and let people know you are there to talk and catch up or just to sit with them if need be. I've enjoyed that a lot lately.
       I really got to thinking though how much can a half a hour make to having 3 months and just 3 months with some people and it depends on the people. Half a hour for adults and 3 months for children. The time difference is much needed. There are even 6 months for international people here where I live because that is how long their project can only last here. Then there is the year limit for teachers. Have we really took in to consideration of what "having time" really means?
       A half a hour TV show can make a difference in people's life if you use it the right way. There might be hidden messages behind what they are doing or might not be but there are hidden messages all the time. It's just the question are they good ones or bad ones. For the people who put their time into that TV show are they using their time wisely? Are they meeting new people and spending time with them outside the TV show or just doing it to become famous? Just depends on how you look at it. A huntin' show can just be a huntin' show and can teach you about the land and how to hunt or it can teach you how to spend time with the people you love and in the places you love even if you don't get a deer that day or what not. Then we know a lot of old children's shows like Thomas the Train and others have lessons of character behind them too. If we look at today's tv shows do they really have lessons. I'm not dashing TV. I'm just saying how do we spend our time.
         Then there is a limit of only having 3 months with children. How are we going to spend those 3 months? Are we going to spend it just letting the children run around wild and not teaching them anything? Are we going to teach them how to behave and that they are loved no matter what they are like or how they behave? In my case and what I have been doing are we going to teach them about God's Love for them and see if that changing them in those 3 months instead of a certain program?
         Then there is the 6 months to 2 years limit for international here in the United States if they are here for just a project. Are we going to try and reach them for the Lord? Are we going to befriend them and show them God's Love and pray that they will grasp it before they leave so they can pass it on to people in their country? I'm part of a Nations Around Us groups at my church and that is what we are trying to do. We are going to different apartments in the area and just trying to build friendships with international people because other Americans are scared or don't think they want anything to do with us when really they do they are just as scared as we are though too.
          Then there is the year limit for teachers in the public schools. How much can you make a difference in a child's life in a year? I know you can make more then you can in 3 months but still for some of those children not enough espically when state and government has to step in on everything. Those children need to be taught everything now these days because they are not being taught anything at home but the government only cares about the core subjects and the tests at the end of the year that character of the children come later if ever. Sometimes even the safety of the children comes later. It sad to see that what I use to learn in 1st grade they are now starting to learn that in Kinder where that grade is suppose to be fun and get you use to the school setting.
           We hate to think it but we are all under a time limit because that is how life is ran. Day and night. Night and day. There is a time a purpose for everything under Heaven. There is a time to make everything beautiful and God will use that time. There might be a Part 2 of this this weekend if I have time because the famous verses from the Bible just came to mind but that would make this a long entery so I'll do another if I have time this weekend. How are you spending you time? Are you spending it for the Lord or for yourself?