How To Take Back Time: Be Present! - A Five Minute Friday post

I missed out on the party last night because we had a dinner date with our friends... the very ones who we met about a year ago and nearly 10months ago had this crazy thought that we should start a church together... yeah - so, no church stuff or agenda or plans to discuss - just a casual (delicious!) dinner with friends - Hawaiian style... so how could I say no?

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: PRESENT

{GO}

Ah yes... Present - as in: to stay that way! 

That is so key!

Last week I wrote about Time and how it was bossing me around and while I love me a bossy to-do list, I am not so much a fan of feeling busy or hectic.

Monday I decided to take back Time and be the boss of it myself (along with God!)

I decided that together, God and I would tackle whatever He had planned for me in each day.

I had forgotten that I could trust Him to include little breaks and moments of glorious down time... even a surprise coffee date or a score of chocolate. 

 I forgot somehow that He has plans for my day that can and should trump my own, and that when I hand Him my days... He makes something beautiful out of each and every one of them!

I wrote a post on Monday, about counting gifts and taking note of small wonders.  

For we know this... how being thankful shifts our heart and focus and how we will find what we seek. Ann with no 'e' taught us well to count one thousand gifts and then just start right over again.

It's just that sometimes we forget, right?

So Monday - as I was enjoying some quiet time before my chaotic week began to unfold, I prayed and asked the Lord what He had in store for me this week...



...I almost instantly heard Him say, "I have opportunities for you to minister sprinkled through out your week.  Take them as they come."

Alrighty.  

I browsed ahead in my mind, checking off several coffee dates or lunch appointments in my Day Planner that may turn out to be a 'ministry opportunity' --that's when He laughed at me. 

As in, LAUGHED, y'all! 
I could hear Him.

And He said, "Uh no, babe.  IN ADDITION to your own plans... just take them as they come."

Deep breaths and trust, right? 

OK, Lord... 
   I will say yes to You!

Not ten minutes later, I got a text and even though it was on a Monday (which - most everyone knows I introvert on Mondays because, pastoring is hard and the whole week is full and then Sundays are amazing, but they are long...) 

Still... I said yes.  

And then an hour later, I said yes again...
  ...and the next day... and the day after.

It turns out God was right (insert sarcastic/surprised font here!)... 

He did have opportunities sprinkled through out the week... chances to love and uplift, to encourage and pray, to give and to share... and do you know something?

I'm not tired... 

I don't feel drained or exhausted or behind... thanks to one little trick:

I STAYED PRESENT!

{STOP}

Most of the things on my bossy lists did, in fact, end up getting done too! But more importantly, I was in tune and fully present with each task. I did not allow myself to do one thing while thinking ahead to the next four things that needed to get done.  In this multi-tasking world of ours, we fool ourselves into thinking that we can do all. the. things. - many of them at the same time... and nothing suffers.

But that is not true... and that is not Truth.

We suffer. 

The quality of what we do and who we are able to bring to the table suffers.  

We get tired, and cranky, and hangry... 

We want to just push through and we forget that God has come to give us life and life more abundantly!

Not more abundantly tired... or worn out. 

No - His Word reminds us to not grow weary in doing good... 

But He came to give us life more abundantly - period. More abundantly blessed and overflowing with goodness and mercy and light and LIFE!

In The Message, that verse reads like this:

"I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."  John 10:10

That doesn't sound exhausted or burnt out to me! 
No, that sounds pretty good!

I believe the key in having that abundant life is to learn how to stay present in the moment... how to weigh it down with all you've got and give as He leads, trusting and knowing that He is the One who refills and refreshes and He is the One whose list of things for you to do trumps whatever you have penciled down in your day planner!

Trust me... I tested this theory out this week... and it works!

(Now... if I can just remember to keep on doing it!)

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about: "PRESENT"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!



What about you?  Are you a multi-tasker... a bossy list maker... are you able to stay present in the task at hand? How do you practice staying Present in your normal, every day life? I'd love to know!