2012: A Gift of Time from God...by Jon Walker

As I've been thinking all day about how 2012 might be different, better, happier, healthier; how I might accomplish more, stress less, and worry less than I did in 2011. Then I read this a few minutes ago and it hit me so I wanted to share it with my loved ones.

“But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.” (Romans 13:11 MSG)

We manage time; we waste time. We spend time; we save time. We wish the time would come; we wish the time would pass. We see time fly; we feel time drag. We watch clocks and carry calendars, creating the illusion that we somehow control time, yet all the while moments flow forward like a mighty river that cannot be stopped, harnessed, or re-routed.

Yet, God controls time. He created time and we, his creations, are fenced by his time, directed and guided by his holy and loving hand. The year 2012 is a gift of time from God.

How will you use it?

What do you think God wants you to do with the 365 days of this next year?

For me personally, I think God wants me to spend more time with Him. My one and only resolution then, is to spend more time with God. With Him all things are possible and I want to forget about all the things I can't control and trust in Him that 2012 will be a very good year for me and my family and friends.

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday to Me

I stumbled across this quote today and wanted to share it with you.

"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit."
-Dawna Markova

I didn't have a clue who Dawna Markova was until I Googled her. Briefly, she is a PhD and she helps people live on purpose. Hmmm.

So, since it's my birthday, let's get back to me. I cannot believe I have lived this long. Family history may have predicted a much shorter life. Especially when you combine it with one bad choice after the next. As I write that, I am thinking about how many times I have thought that I would die when I was 40 like my parents did. Now, more than two decades later (that's 60+ years old!) I finally realize that I won't die before I live and living shouldn't be a matter of time.

I have had so many birthday greetings today starting with a beautiful card from my husband, breakfast (that's not unusual - he always cooks if he gets hungry enough) phone calls, texts, Facebook postings, even a personal visit from No. 1 Grandson. I feel so loved. What makes me feel the best is all the kind words that people are saying about me.

Each day is, indeed, a gift to be lived on purpose. I hope that my life will continue to be lived on purpose and that on purpose, I will give and receive blessings beyond those imaginable.

The 60+ is actually 22,280 days, or 60 years plus 12 months. Okay, fine. 61. Now, I've said it!

The picture is me on my 16th birthday. 16 now 61. YIKES!