Don't Kill Time

"What are you doing?"
"Oh, you know, just killing time."

What a horrible thing to say. Who would want to kill time--the days we have been given to experience growth and learning, to enjoy nature and beautiful people, to fail and fall and get up, to feel love in the utmost corners of the heart?

Boredom is not something I suffer from. There's always something to do, a project to take hold of, and a family member or friend who need encouragement. Time is too precious, too valuable to be wasted.

The idea of what wasting time really is varies from person to person. What I find important on my daily schedule might differ from what another person thinks they should do. And that's the beauty of it. Variety is the spice of life. We all have different talents, health, strengths and weaknesses. But apart from all that, everyone is given 24 hours each day.

My two-year old grandson, Scott, claims he is busy when his mother asks him to do something. I smile and wonder, Where could he have learned to say that? At least he's busy and not wasting time.

Linnea has a blog called Pursuit of Elephants. Her last entry about procrastination was a reminder to me of how special every day is and that someday should be today.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 we can read:

 1 To every thing there is a ^aseason, and a ^btime to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A ^atime to be born, and a time to ^bdie; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;4 A time to weep, and a time to ^alaugh; a time to ^bmourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;6 A time to ^aget, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;7 A time to ^arend, and a time to sew; a time to keep ^bsilence, and a time to speak;8 A time to love, and a time to ^ahate; a time of war, and a time of peace.9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he^alaboureth?10 I have seen the ^atravail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be ^bexercised in it.11 He hath made every thing ^abeautiful in his time: also he ^bhathset the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the ^cworkthat God maketh from the beginning to the end.12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do ^agood in his life.13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the ^agift of God.14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be ^afor ^bever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should ^cfear before him. 15 That which hath been is ^anow; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.16 ¶And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment,that ^awickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, thatiniquity was there.17 I said in mine heart, God shall ^ajudge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. 18 I said in mine heart concerning the ^aestate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are ^bbeasts. 19 For that which ^abefalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.20 All go unto one place; all are of the ^adust, and all turn to dust again.21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own ^aworks; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Take time for the good things in your life today. What do you want to build your life on and which traits and what knowledge do you want to bring along?


Today's water colors are wintry scenes, just like the days we enjoy outside the Duck and Cherry now.