Things I Took For Granted

This morning I received a text from a long-time sister/friend that I’ve known for thirty plus years telling me she loved me and that I crossed her mind. Right at the time her text came across, I was sitting at my desk feeling a little low about everything that’s going on. In a moment’s notice my outlook changed just by her simple act of kindness and obedience to the spirit of God that led her to text me. I had started blogging about a different subject last night and decided to stop and pick it back up today. Then, just like that her text inspired this blog, “Things I took for Granted”.

The one thing this pandemic has given us is time. I am choosing to use this time as an opportunity to listen to God as I reflect, redirect, and restructure my life for the better. During my time of reflection this morning, my sister’s text reminded me of the many things I’ve taken for granted over the years without giving them a second thought. The saying that we should stop and smell the roses is truly an understatement. The first thing that came to my mind that I took for granted so often is my “time”. When you’re young you really do feel you have time to waste. I realize now that at any age you can find yourself wasting valuable moments and seasons in your life in the wrong relationships, friendships, situations, or careers. Every day we are bless to wake up, we are faced with the choice of how we will use the time that has been given to us, whether it be good, evil, productive, counter-productive, or wasteful. How you choose to spend that time shows up in undeniable results of where you eventually find yourself. I know now more than ever that my time and efforts will be to things that are purposeful, profitable, and meaningful. Tomorrow truly isn’t promise to us, therefore, we must work the works of him that sent us while it is day; for when night comes no man can work. You may have heard someone talk at a funeral service about the dash between the date of a person’s birth and their death. We all have a birth date but we also have a date with death, whether it’s an actual death in this body or the coming of our Lord and Saviour, which is still death to this natural life as we know it. We will be held accountable for how we chose to spend the time in between that dash. If nothing else, this year alone came to teach us not to take our time here for granted. It should cause all of us to think about our own mortality and how we will choose to spend our time moving forward.

The second thing I realized that I took for granted were simple acts of kindness and small affections. My sister that text me has been my choir bench partner for years. Sunday after Sunday she wore the kindest smile. You have not been hugged in this life until you have experienced her embraced. Given the fact that due to COVID, we can no longer shake hands, hug, nor greet one another with a kiss on the cheek, saddens me even as I type this blog. It’s things like this I so often took for granted before this moment. Not wanting to fully embrace someone because I was worried about leaving my makeup on their clothes or worried about someone smelling my sweat from all the praise we had just given to God, seems to be so minor now. I’m sitting here thinking about all the times I rushed out of the sanctuary when church was over not taking the time to greet and speak to everyone to get to my next agenda for the day… time to eat, time for a nap.. or whatever I seemingly had to do. Why? Because I thought I will see them again. Now, I long to talk and greet my sisters and brothers. I miss seeing their smiles that are now hidden behind masks. It’s funny how we can get so caught up in thinking things will always be the same not realizing that things can change in a matter of seconds. I now long for the day that we will be able to rid ourselves of these masks and go back to life as we once knew it. I pray that God will soon grant us the grace to be able to embrace one another in love again as we once did, with a new found prospective that we have been given a gift from God to show love to one another. Some things you don’t miss until it’s gone.

The third thing I took for granted was my freedom to come and go to places as I pleased. Being locked down for going on five months has been another eye-opener to things we can so easily take for granted. I miss entering collectively into the house of God for corporate worship together with my fellow church members. I miss the ability to get out of our house and do simple recreational activities such as going to the movies or a restaurant with my spouse or friends. I never would have thought our schools would be closed and our children home-schooled. Even tasks we must do, such as going to the grocery store, gas stations, and the doctor’s office have to all be done with precautions. Nothing is easy anymore. We have to move purposefully in everything we set out to do, which in turn reminds us that we once walked in freedoms that we often took for granted.

Lastly, one of the things I took for granted was my “Purpose”. As long as I can remember I knew I had a purpose here on earth, the hard part was figuring out how God would have me fulfill it. The second hardest thing was eliminating distractions and hindrances. I haven’t quite conquered the second one yet, but it’s definitely a work in progress. Reflecting back over the years, I see how I allowed any little thing to keep me from moving ahead in it. This pandemic has definitely given me a sense of urgency, and pushed me into an area of ministry that has been a long-time desire. I realize more than ever; my time clock is ticking and I have a set time to fulfill the work Christ has called me to. Looking at the state of this world, I’m reminded of the bible verse found in Matthew 9: 37-38 that reads; Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest is truly plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into the harvest. If there were ever a time people needed a sense of direction and a light unto their paths, they sure do need it now. As Christians we serve as lights in this dark world. I realize I no longer have the leisure to sit back and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do. We all have a role to play in God’s vineyard. There are all types of resources at our disposals to get his word out to the lost and the hurting. I’m writing to remind us not to take what God is calling you to do for granted or think it’s small. My blogging may be a small thing, but I’m choosing to leave a written record behind so that one day my children, grandchildren and possibly-great grand can look back at my writings and remember my words and these times. Will you with me, take this time to be about our Father’s business?

Take some time over a cup of tea this week and think about some things you may have taken for granted before this pandemic. If you like, let us hear from you in the comments below.

Until next time, be good to yourselves…..