For Christmas my son and daughter-in-law gave me the most fantastic gift – a PNW clock! I absolutely love it!
I put it up in my dining room where I can see it all the time!
Every time I glance over at my clock I think: “It’s time to pray! It’s time to pray for my kids!”
Here you can see my special PNW clock this morning as I sat down to write this blog post. It’s 7:10am … and it’s time to pray! It’s time to pray for my family!
Here you can see my special clock yesterday, just before noon – “It’s time to pray! It’s time to pray for my family!”
What is the greatest gift we can give someone?
I personally believe the greatest gift we can give someone is our time. Because when we give someone our time, we are giving them part of our life that we will never get back.
Time is a limited commodity. We all (every single person) get the same 24 hours in a day. It’s an even playing field across the board. How we choose to spend that time is up to us. And once it’s gone, it’s gone. We can’t get it back again. If we waste our time, there is no re-do.
Therefore, when we give someone our time, we are giving them a part of our very life! Time is the greatest gift we can give someone!
* Giving our time … to proactively reach out to someone to let them know we care about them. Texting someone to say: “I love you” and “How are you doing?” This is one of the greatest gifts we can give someone!
* Giving our time … to simply be with someone. Giving our time to be there for someone when something exciting is going on in their life! (such as: our kids’ school events, music recitals, baseball games, ballet recitals, robotics competitions, etc. …)
Giving our time to simply spend time together with someone on the normal, ordinary days of life. (such as: picnics together, hiking together, doing home-projects together, watching football games together, etc. …)
Simply spending time with someone – this is one of the greatest gifts we can give someone!
* Giving our time … to be there for someone in need. Going by the grocery store to pick up crackers and soup and juice for someone who is sick. This is a priceless gift! Taking someone to their doctors’ appointments. This is a priceless gift! Sitting with someone when they/ or their loved one is having surgery. This is a priceless gift! Giving our time to sit in the pain of someone who is hurting … this is one of the greatest gifts we can give someone!
* Giving our time … to encourage someone. It takes intentionality to encourage others. Intentionality to smile. Intentionality to say “Hi!” Intentionality to ask: “How are you doing?”
Intentionality to be perceptive to the specific, unique ways someone might be encouraged. One person might be encouraged by receiving a bouquet of flowers. Someone else might be encouraged by receiving a heartfelt text. Someone else might be encouraged by receiving a humorous cartoon which makes them laugh. Someone else might be encouraged by receiving a coffee – just because. It takes time to be perceptive and intentional to encourage others! This is a priceless gift!
* Giving our time … to wholeheartedly listen when someone is sharing with us. To put the phone down, to reign in our wandering thoughts, to put aside the distractions … and to truly listen! This is a priceless gift!
Giving our time to someone … this is the greatest gift we can ever give!
