Be More Giving

Today has been so full- there's been so much to do and so much to think about.
Today's action was to set aside a jar for loose change to donate to charity and the kids decided they want to give the money to cancer research. As I work in oncology I was really pleased with their choice.

The Bible passage on today's LLLL page is all about the wedding at Cana and the overwhelming generosity God displayed. It's a reminder that there's ways I can be generous that don't involve money. A phrase I've heard, don't particularly like, but feel applies to me is "time poor". With my work, family and ordination training I have to choose really carefully how I'm going to spend my time and something always gets neglected.
On Sunday, whilst working a 13 1/2 hour shift at work, I found out my children had been asked to dress up for World Book Day- which is today. I had a mild panic knowing that between Sunday and today I was only not in work on Monday morning, but needed to shop then. How on earth was I going to sort costumes?! Things like this happen all the time and I can often feel that I'm not giving my children enough of my time. They did, thankfully, mainly sort their own costumes (with a bit of help from dad) and I sent a panda and Emmet the Lego guy happily to school.

Later on years 3, 4, 5 and 6 from the school joined us in church for a teaching Eucharist service where I preached about LLLL and each child was given a prayer card based on it's principles.
Tonight I was back in college after the half term break, where I was reminded that I'm not the only one struggling with time.

So how on earth do I give more of the thing I haven't got? I want to give more time to my family and my friends but I don't have it to offer them. I don't have an answer to this but as part of my challenge I can think about how I'm spending my time and what my priorities are.

John 2.9-10: When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’