Finding Hope in DarknessSample

Seize the Moment 

Ephesians 5:16 says: "Make the most of your time, because the days are evil."

And as I was praying about the summer of 2020, I felt like God strongly impressed on my heart to not give away my future. To not fall into learned helplessness that the next six to 18 months would be terrible. To not give up on things before I had to give up on them. To not allow things to be stolen from me and not given back. 

Instead, I was supposed to seize the moment. 

During the time of shelter in place this spring, I made a list of everything that was taken from me, whether it be celebrating friends' birthdays, seeing family, or celebrating certain holidays, and bit by bit, I've been working on taking them all back. 

By July, I had taken out all the friends for ice cream where I hadn't been able to celebrate their spring birthdays. (There's a cute little walk up place where we could get cones and then sit in a park.) I saw my family. I have reclaimed all major holidays. 

I still have a few things that I still haven't been able to do yet. But I will... 

I believe God is a God of restoration. I refuse to be robbed. I'm taking everything back and more.                              

I'm also making plans for the future. Although I'm not investing large sums of money in things where I couldn't get a refund, I am committing. I'm going for it in critical areas of my life. Showing legitimate concern where I need to in regards to security but not being overly worried. 

Why ruin my present because of fear of a future that may or may not happen? 

Don't give up on life. Don't lose hope. 

There is no darkness greater than God's light. 

Ask God: How can I seize the moment to make the most of my time now?

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time management coach and the author of the book "Divine Time Management." Find out more at RealLifeE.com