There are many people in my life who are very special to me – my wife, our children, my parents, my parents-in-law, relatives, high school friends, church friends, and my teaching colleagues. There are many other people who have been very special to me throughout my lifetime. They include teachers, priests, nuns, sponsored children, friends in other countries, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and godparents.
Each one of us, no matter who we are, is special in God’s eyes. We are all children of God. Everyone in history was created in the likeness and image of God. The following is written in Genesis:
“God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good. Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:25–27)
This Scripture passage helps me to be cognizant of my relationships with people and the time that I spend with others. I do not always do as well as I should in my treatment of others, mainly because I am human and I sin just like everyone else. All of us are important in the eyes of God. Because each one of us was created by God and has importance in life, giving the gift of time to another person is one of the greatest gifts you can give that person.
Rick Warren says it so eloquently: “Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. It is not enough to just to say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless …. Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E.”
How can you give the “gift of your time” to someone today?