5:16? Or Not?

"making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

I signed up for the 5:16 club a month or so ago. The idea stems from wanting to be a Proverbs 31 woman: "She gets up while it is still dark," Proverbs 31:15.

So you get up around 5 a.m. Or at 5:16 a.m., to be more realistic. And you spend your time in study and prayer and preparation for the day, to become more productive and more like the woman God created you to be. Check this button out if you're interested...





Oh, I can so use this! I need that time to connect. That time to get out of the foggy haze that surrounds my daze, er, days. I need to grab God's lifeline every morning.

So I tried.

The first morning, I got up at 5:42 a.m. I didn't use an alarm because I didn't want to wake anybody. I tiptoed through the house.

Five minutes later, my girl was up. She wanted to be with me. I put her back to bed, and got back to my morning thing after about 15 minutes.

Baby girl got up again! In less than five minutes this time. So I gave up. I went back to bed with the baby. Finally I managed to get away at 7:30 a.m. And she slept in until 9 a.m. - yeah!

So I DID get an extra 1/2 hour from the deal, since mornings usually start at 8 a.m.

But then I got sick, and she got sick, and we just really needed our sleep.

And since then, the trend is that she is always up within five minutes of when I get up. It doesn't matter when. So there's no "extra" time gained by getting up early, just a cranky tired baby. Help!

If I Had My Life to Live Over

I received in a forwarded email. A great reminder to enjoy every moment instead of wishing for tomorrow...

If I Had My Life to Live Over
by Erma Bombeck, written after she found out she was dying from cancer

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the "good" living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it , live it and never give it back.

Give...

"Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything." --Proverbs 11:24

I read this and think I've got this figured out. I've never been stingy with money. If I have and someone needs, I give. And I've NEVER been without. I've always had enough to cover my needs and then some.

But there is one thing I am struggling with. Time.

I don't have enough time for myself.

How can I give time away to others?

I treasure my time. I hoard it as my most precious possession.

Yet I've been feeling convinced that I need to change my priorities. Husband first, child second, others next, and myself last.

That means no "ME" time.

That flies in the face of every piece of advice out there, doesn't it?

Yet God promises that those who give will be rewarded. And those who hoard will lose everything.

Where do I start? Am I convicted enough? I'm not sure.