I’m excited to announce a brand new series on my blog: Think • Write • Pray • Explore. Every Friday morning, I will post a new installment, and each will be loosely based around the theme of the most recent prayer prompt calendar. In the “Think” category, I will share the link to download the new calendar, as well as provide some quotes or thought-provoking questions about the theme. A week later, “Write” will give you some writing, journaling, or prayer prompts to deepen your exploration of the concept. (Prayer journaling has always been the discipline that consistently helps me draw nearer to God.) The next week, “Pray” will have a written prayer or scripture to explore, and finally “Explore” will contain some sort of activity, challenge, or inspiration. (I haven’t decided what I’m going to do on the months with five weeks yet, so stay tuned to see what I come up with!)

Get your free January 2021 Prayer Prompt Calendar by clicking here.

I started looking for some quotes on time that would inspire you (and me), but most of them prompted vague feelings of shame instead. (“I’m not doing enough with the time I have. I’m not enjoying it. I’m not living in the moment. I’m busy but not accomplishing much.” And so on.) I don’t need to be reminded that I can never get back the time I waste, thank you very much. That was not my motivation for creating a calendar about time.

But the truth is that, as each new year begins, we usually become more aware of things changing. We start to ask ourselves if we are making the best use of our time. Are we spending it with and for the most important people in our lives? Are we pursing the dreams God has planted in our hearts, and are we using the special talents He gave each of us? Time has taken on a surreal quality of late, with so much change and uncertainty in our world because of politics, disease, and social distancing. I told a friend back in March that it felt like an extended snow day—you know, those days when snow piles up outside, and the stores are out of milk and bread and eggs, and the kids are restless and you still somehow need to get things done and you just can’t concentrate because you know this isn’t “normal” and you’re adapting to less-than-ideal circumstances on the fly? Well, after nine months of abnormal, I’m ready to start looking forward intentionally.

The thing I want to remind you is this: The passing of time can be a positive thing, and it doesn’t have to bring with it guilt or regret. As time goes by, though, we get the gift of hindsight. We get to see how things held up (or didn’t) over time. We get to learn, both from what we did well and what we didn’t. Our loved ones change, our circumstances change, and we change. Sometimes those changes are hard or painful, but sometimes they bring joy and freedom. The change itself isn’t bad, and I think it’s time to stop thinking of time passing as a negative thing.

I challenge you to spend a few minutes this week thinking about time. For instance:

• What in your life has run its course? What is it time to let go of?
• What is it time to hold tightly to? What is it time to make time for?
• What has changed for you in the past year? What changes are in your immediate future?
• Do you like the way your time is spent? If not, what would make it more fulfilling?
• Do you have any free time that is under your control, or is most of your time mandated by your work, family, and other commitments? Even if it’s a small amount, where in your life could you carve out a few minutes each week to spend on people or pursuits you love?

That’s it. That’s all you have to do: Think. I’ll be back next week with some journaling prompts, but I’d love to have a conversation with you about where your thoughts led you. Share in the comments (or by email)—I promise I’ll read and try to respond!