Spend Time...While You Have Time

Spend Time...While You Have Time

A friend and partner of our Keswick ministry, a friend of God, a husband, mentor, spiritual leader, and man after God's own heart...David E. Shoppy...recently left his earth suit for eternity. At his memorial service a few days later, many who dearly loved him gathered to share in the sorrow and the joy of his home-going. Through tears and laughter much was shared about -the man. I personally learned things about him that I never knew and felt I was blessed to have known him for the brief time that I did.

Today's Victory Call is birthed from the words of his beloved Betsy. We embraced at the end of the service and there was so much love there. She whispered a few things in my ear and I want to share one of them with you today. They were simply words. Words we all need to hear whether we are married or not.

The words Betsy whispered were "spend time with your husband". Nothing profound and yet my heart was moved for two reasons. One: because I remembered that Dave and Betsy had been blessed with a week by the ocean just a brief time ago. Taking the time to rest and be together was so good to them and for them, to create new cache memories that Betsy now has of her groom. Memories that apart from, spending time with him, she simply would not have. The second reason was more conviction than anything as I remembered some recent thoughts about my own husband. My heart was moved though, because I knew it was God speaking directly into my ear, using Betsy's voice to say, "Stephanie, stop sweating the small stuff."

Dear ones, today is all we have. The moment you are in is all you have. Life hangs in a delicate balance for all of us and today, not tomorrow...but today, our souls might be required of us. Today could be the day that we breathe our last breath. In whatever way possible, let us spend time with those we say we love. Let them see our love in action
- one act, one deed, one word, one moment, at a time.

I know for some, the thought of reaching out or moving toward someone to spend time with them, can be frightening. Frightening, because being with them will mean being vulnerable; exposing yourself to possible rejection. Believe me; if this is true of you, you are NOT alone. Your history with that person may be tenuous at best. Maybe the hurt is so huge and so deep, the very thought of "going there" terrifies you. Or perhaps it's been so long since a kind word has been spoken; you don't even know where you would begin.

Dear sister, go to God with it. Only He is able to move and work in your heart to do this. Seek Him for the when, where, how, and if. Ask him who it is that He wants you to spend time with.

If you are married and your relationship with your husband is one of mere existing, ask God to soften your heart; to move and work in you, in such a way that you even want to take the risk.

Begin with brutally honest confession before God. Go to Him with every ounce and speck of anger and yuck. Allow Him to heal you where your heart hurts. Allow His Spirit to empower you to seek forgiveness if, when and where you know you need to. Then ask God to show you and tell you, "What is the next thing?" Ask Him to show you how you, personally, can spend the time you have, with the one you love.

Dear one, He is faithful, faithful, faithful!!! Seek to spend the time. God knows it all and you can trust Him to show you all the creative ways you can do this thing.

Seek. Ask. Listen. Obey. Do the thing!

Stephanie