Time In a Suitcase

Time in a Suitcase
“Love God with all your heart and with all your soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30,31

Picture a favorite suitcase. Think of that empty suitcase as a time capsule. What would like to put in it? What represents you, your life, your values, your activities, etc.? What would you like for people in the future to know about you?

When life gets too full, you might have to remove an item or two from your suitcase. What is usually the first thing go when life gets busy? Are you okay with taking that out of your time capsule? These are hard questions to answer, aren’t they? Here are some more:

4832 Ponderings:

• What similarities do you see between our responsibilities to God and our responsibilities to our neighbors? What differences?
• To what extent can we love God without loving others?
• How should we balance time needed for relationships with God and others against the demands of the time-consuming tasks of daily life?
• What one thing can you change this week to make time for loving God? For loving others?

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the important people You’ve placed in my life:  family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Guide me to balance my time and provide me with opportunities to share the Light of Your love with each of these, Your children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Put It In Action: On a note card write the five most important things you are going to do this week, reflecting what you’ve thought about while reading this. Such as:

• Evaluate what things might need to slow down or be put on hold for a season.
• Make contact with a friend or neighbor.
• Make date with a family member or friend.
• Give a gift. You decide what to give and to whom you will give it.

Remember, God provides the resources we need to accomplish His purpose for our lives and for those around us.