“If you have the time...” I had asked a church member if it was okay to visit her in the hospital, and that was her response. There was a time not that long ago when I was not as willing to give much of my time. I had the misplaced notion that my time was my own.
As I contemplated that conversation, my mind went back to a song from the 1960s, and because Al Gore invented the Internet, I could pull up the lyrics!
On my way to better things
(No time left for you)
I’ll find myself some wings
(No time left for you)
Distant roads are calling me
(No time left for you)
No time for a summer friend
No time for the love you send
Seasons change and so did I
You need not wonder why
You need not wonder why
There’s no time left for you
No time left for you
(“No Time,” The Guess Who, September 1969)
We all have the same 24-hour day, but it’s how we prioritize that time that gives direction to our lives. I’ve heard it said, “Show me your checkbook and your calendar and I’ll show you what’s important in your life.”
When it comes to making time to serve the Lord, whether it’s a hospital visit, having morning quiet time, or meeting someone one-on-one, we often rationalize our response. I say “rationalize” because that sounds better than making excuses about how busy we are.
If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s due to a lack of enthusiasm on one hand and a lack of trust on the other. We don’t really trust the Lord to give us strength for the day because of the hour of sleep we lost to spend time with Him, or because of the hour we lost in our day making that hospital visit. We don’t trust Him to make problems we might have faced evaporate before they ever materialized.
The history of the church is replete with biographies of men and women of God who made it a priority to start their day with Him. They spent time with God and made time for God’s people. There is no such thing as great men of God — but there are men who did great things because of their relationship with a great God.
God has placed a desire in our hearts to serve Him. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, ESV). Not only has God put a desire in our hearts to serve him, but He has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to complete that work.
So, let me close with the words of that great philosopher from a galaxy far away: “No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try!” (Yoda to Luke Skywalker, “The Empire Strikes Back”)
Next time you are asked, “Do you have the time?” make the time. You will not regret it.
What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!
