The idea of today being a 'free' day due to the leap year is an interesting one, because it isn't. It's still a Monday, the kids had to go to school, my husband had to work an early shift and I had to work on an assignment. The time we have is all marked out, portioned off and given away. Before we know it, it's time for bed and my head has turned towards tomorrow. Day in, day out. Time is precious.
I recently listened to a podcast which spoke about how we spend our time (it might have been a Robcast) and a very interesting point was made; time is the one commodity we have that we cannot get back, so what we choose to do with it is so important- there's no buying more or topping it up. It made me reflect upon how many years of my life I and my friends have given to training for the priesthood, and how glad I am to spend my precious time this way. It also made me ponder upon the ways I waste time. Which activities are really worth spending something so precious upon?
Gandalf, in Tolkien's Lord of The Rings (sorry- I'm a geek), tells Frodo "all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us". Wise words indeed. Today I took just a few moments of time to let a few folk who I've been praying for know they were in my thoughts. No big generous gesture, just small stuff, but small stuff matters too.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’ (Matthew 6:3) and ‘Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you’ (Matthew 5:42 NIV).
