PC Alisha MullettShe wrapped her little arms around my neck, tears running down her face. It broke my heart as she told me how she was feeling. Discouraged and alone. Unimportant to those of us who love her the most. I hugged her, reassuring her of my love. And of my resolve.

As I inquired further, I began to see some of my failure. Unintentionally, I realized I had been withholding a most priceless gift from her.

As we approach the biggest season for giving, many of us continue to overlook our greatest gift. We focus on the latest, instead of the best. The temporal for the invaluable. Fleeting satisfactions rob us of timeless treasures.

The Master of Counterfeit is busy in each of our lives. He has blinded us to what is most important. In all our rushing and flurried activities, we lack the crucial. The very essential.

Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Jesus, the Son of God longed for this precious gift. Yet, Martha simply didn’t understand. She didn’t “get it.” And too many times, I don’t either.

We say we love our family members and they’re the most important to us. Yet, in reality, we often portray something completely opposite.

God has been challenging me about His gift of TIME. Time is something each of us never have enough of. When do you hear of someone on their deathbed declaring they never had enough wealth, influence, job opportunities or accumulation? Mankind’s most common regret is the lack of spending time on relationships.

Especially in the world today, our gift of time is under great attack. With all our social interactions, we can be more connected to our distant friends than with those who live under the same roof. It’s not healthy when your teenager spends majority of their free time with their phone. When your family can’t spend an evening together without media distractions, your precious gift of time is under attack.

The Crafter of Counterfeit knows these time-wasters never bring true satisfaction. Only emptiness. This is the result of falling for Satan’s counterfeits. Satisfaction is found when we give and receive the gift of time. Face-to face personal relationships. Nothing else will meet the deep relational needs each of us have.

My husband and I know how distance and lack of time affects our relationship. Phone calls and FaceTime simply isn’t enough to sustain a relationship long term. We need that in-person connection. I’m not saying we shouldn’t utilize modern technology to stay in touch with people long distance, but we need to be careful we’re not hurting the relationships of those physically close to us in the process.

As we enter this season of giving, let’s give our greatest. If you don’t give freely of your time, you’re not giving freely of your love. Jesus simply wanted Martha’s time. Her focus. All her strivings and niceties meant little, apart from this.

I really believe love is measured in time. If we love God, we will want to spend time with Him. When we truly love others, we will want to spend time with them. Instead of buying or creating the best, let’s give our best, because we’re not promised tomorrow. Your choices today will determine your greatest regrets…but they can also determine your greatest joy and fulfillment.

That’s why time is a gift. However fleeting, we can determine how we use it.

~Cindy (For The Mullett Family)

“Time is the brush of God, as He paints His masterpiece on the heart of humanity.”

Ravi Zacharias

“The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.”

Rick Warren

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