Some Thoughts On Our Use of Time Part1

I just started reading "A Celebration of Children" by Edith Schaeffer. I was already quickly struck when reading the introduction to the book. She says, " I see my life in chapters, or blocks of time. I realize that no chapter can be erased, no block can be torn out and built again...Life has to be lived with the reality of time. There is a whole lifetime which is like a complete book, but there are many chapters in life, and sections within those chapters. It is possible to make changes in the present and future chapters. There are choices to be made from hour to hour, from day to day. The choices parents, grandparents, aunt and uncles, friends, and teachers make affect lives, and lives affect history. Choices affect the next generation and must be thought about and considered day after day. Choices like what? Choices like having an unbreakable appointment with a small child or children, to sit on the floor and play an appropriate game together and to take that child on your lap and read a story, maybe over and over and over again...Choices like spreading out paint, paper, scissors, and paste and doing a creative thing with your little ones, rather than considering all adult "appointments" more important." Do Mrs. Schaeffer's points convict our hearts in a lifechanging way? I realized that I often do not see my children and time with them, in their world, as valuable enough. They are learning to trust The Lord and see his goodness by seeing mommies and daddies being faithful, and good. Part of this is making sure we spend time with them and enjoy our little ones. Like Mrs. Schaeffer says, time is so valuable. It feels to me each day like I have all the time in the world but the truth from scripture is that I don't. Our lives are being written as it were in chapters - I need to remind myself of this each day. Each hour in this day is a gift from God to use for his glory, whether that is best used in the moment to put in another load of dirty clothes or to be used by stopping to dance around my living room to music with my two boys and let them know what gift they are and that I want to be a part of the things they enjoy and laugh at. God is glorified in these things, even though at times it seems as though we aren't getting "things" done. I will be posting more about the use of time later on. I really encourage anyone who hasn't read the book to read it, I have only read a small amount but there is lots of wisdom and encouragement from this wise older woman.