It's About Time

Today we’re talking about timing. Specifically, we’re talking about how do we recognize and respond to the places and positions that we come into or hope to come into? What is the Lord’s timing and how does it work?  Timing- is how we measure moments and understand our journey. Time helps us to recognize our evolution and see the evidence of fruit and moving of the Lord God. 

Truth to have and hold about time: 
Time tells our story

Time reveals the Lord's  purpose

Time honors truth

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Transcript

0:00:25 - (Renada): Hey. Hey. Good day. Good day. And I pray that this is not only your blessing, but that it becomes your mindset, that you take it and carry it with you into the rest of this day, into the fullness of every space that you stand in. That it would bless you fully and completely, knowing that this day was made and designed just for you, for you. That today holds all of the goodness, all of the intention, all of the expectancy that you can hold. Because heaven designed this day. With you in mind, everything you need to be the best version of yourself, everything that you need to succeed was already provisioned for you today.

0:01:24 - (Renada): So with that in mind, we're going to start today with some self love. We're going to start today with some self worth, and we're going to give ourselves the time and the energy we deserve by doing some self work so that we start and end this day with the goodness that we deserve. I'm Renata. Welcome. Welcome. I'm glad that you are here. I am thankful for your time. And I am hopeful that what we talk about today is going to bless you and leave you better than you came, with a smile on your face, joy in your heart, and intention in what you do next.

0:02:09 - (Renada): Because today we are talking about timing. Some people think that it's a construct, an abstract idea, an understanding that can never be fully grasped or attained. But we are going to get into it today. We are really going to talk about what timing means. Specifically, how do we recognize and respond to the places and the positions that we hope to be in or are currently in, what we are hoping to come into, or where we are right now.

0:02:53 - (Renada): What is the Lord's timing? How does it work? What does it look like? We're going to talk about it today, so because that is our topic, I want to talk to you first about what timing really means. When we say timing, when I say timing, what does that really mean? Because timing is how we measure our moments. Timing is the basis for which we understand our journey. Time helps us to recognize our evolution as people.

0:03:36 - (Renada): How are we coming into the fullness of who we were made to be? How are we standing in the places carved out for us? How are we reflecting growth and truth? Not only that, but time helps us to recognize the evidence of our fruit. Where do you look back over your journey, over your walk on this planet, and see where you have sown, where you are reaping the goodness that you have given to yourself and then shared with others?

0:04:14 - (Renada): What are your moments really saying about who you are, how you have used your resources, where you have committed your energy? Time helps to tell that whole story, really, because it shows the moving, the intention, the providence of the living God. So as we get into it, we're going to focus in on three real truths. And these are truths that you can take. These are truths that you can research. These are truths that you can have and hold for yourself.

0:04:58 - (Renada): And the first one is that time tells a story. The second is that time reveals purpose. And the last one is that time honors truth. So keep that at the forefront of your mind as we get into this conversation, because that is going to be what not only grounds us, but what helps us to be present, what helps us to understand and be intentional about how this conversation and this understanding moves forward so we can do that work and recognize for ourselves how we are using time and how we are understanding the Lord's timing.

0:05:56 - (Renada): Have you ever wished that you could just press fast forward on a chapter or season of life? Have you ever been in a space where you think to yourself, oh my gosh, I can't wait for this to be over? Or have you ever had a situation happen? And while you're in the situation, it's almost like an out of body experience, and you can see what's going on, you know what you're saying, you know what you're doing.

0:06:34 - (Renada): And somehow you just can't seem to put all of those things together to make you do what you want you to do. You know it in your mind, but you just can't get your being to respond to what you know. Or have you ever been in a situation where you were going through a test and as soon as you get like halfway into the test you're like, oh man, I'm going to have to repeat this one. I know I'm going to have to do this over.

0:07:13 - (Renada): Yes, mess that one up. Yeah, I have been there. I have been there. And it is really easy to want time to be something different. It is really easy to want to somehow control and direct everything around us so that our conditions are comfortable. Rather than recognizing and seeing that time is telling us, hey, it's time for a change to take place. It's time to do something different. It's time to respond in a new way.

0:08:01 - (Renada): That can be really hard. Really hard. I can clearly recall and recount during COVID wanting for things to go back to the way that they were. Almost every day, every day wake up and this is still a thing. Can we not just fast forward to what to do in a normal way? How do we stop being in this place and just fast forward to whatever is next? It's a really easy place to be in. But when you work in opposition of time, you are the only one that suffers, right? Because things keep changing around you, the world will continue to be what it is and somehow you end up stuck in a place that you don't really want to be in, but you can't seem to get out of it, or you can't seem to push through fast enough to get to where you really want to be.

0:09:29 - (Renada): It happens. But the Lord has so providently in his sovereign knowledge and goodness, given us both dreams and desires. And dreams and desires work together to help us maintain a vision of what is possible, the things that are intrinsic within us, the things that we naturally possess as a gifting from the Creator of all things that says change is supposed to be a part of who you are. Growth is supposed to be a part of your existence.

0:10:17 - (Renada): You are supposed to evolve as a person so that time has the ability to tell a story about who you are. And that is such a blessing when you think about the fact that your life was designed intentionally and purposefully designed, so that as time passes, the story of who you are becomes clearer and clearer and clearer. You get to look back over your accomplishments, over your achievements, over the tests that you have passed, over the challenges that you have accepted, so that they change you into the best version of yourself.

0:11:11 - (Renada): That is the story. The moments that you measure that show there is evidence of fruit taking place, there is growth taking place, there is evolution of this person taking place. How awesome is that? And we can recognize that, right? We see that in at one point in your life, you may have been dead set against doing this one thing, even though you knew that there was potential for it to be good for you, you were just dead set on it. I'm not going to do that.

0:11:50 - (Renada): I'll never say, I'll never do. Just to realize that there was some value and some benefit in it. And then you come right back around full circle living. That's what the Lord intends for all of us. And then you recognize that you're in a place that you had seen before, but you never thought that you would be in, because time tells a story of you. Or there was a hobby that you had at one point in your life and at another point in life, it didn't seem to fit who you were.

0:12:27 - (Renada): Only for time to pass and begin to tell a story that that was a natural gifting, that was a part of you, and now it's something that you do again, you didn't recognize the value in it before, and then you do. There's a story that always stood out to me about the Messiah. In John seven. His brothers are telling him that if he is who he says he is, if he can do these works and these miraculous things, he needs to go to this festival and put his abilities on display.

0:13:08 - (Renada): Nobody does good things behind closed doors, essentially, is what they say. I am paraphrasing so for the more full picture detail, please read John Seven and let the Holy Spirit tell you. But I'm paraphrasing for this context. So they are essentially telling him, if this is who you are and this is what you can do, you should go and put it on display. And he tells them that my time has not yet come.

0:13:43 - (Renada): My time has not yet come. And then he repeats it again later in John Seven and says, you go up to the feast. I am not going because my time has not yet fully come. Time tells the story of you. Time reflects all of the intricate details, all of the purposeful, understandings, abilities, gifts, talents, knowledge, experiences that tell the story of you. It is a story that requires the passage of time.

0:14:40 - (Renada): What an amazing thought that everything that you have experienced, everything that you have encountered up until this point in your life, when you look back, it tells a story. And there are people who need to hear that story. There are people who will connect with your story because there are similarities. There are parallels in their path and yours, or there are people who will be inspired by your story.

0:15:08 - (Renada): There are people who will come to recognize that there is goodness that they deserve, because your story reveals that to them. That's why the open doors are there. That's why being present matters. Because when you walk through those open doors and you give yourself the opportunity to stand and to recognize and to see and connect and to build and bless around you, that's a part of your story. That's a part of the beauty of living and living in the spaces that you were made to stand in.

0:15:58 - (Renada): Because your story is significant. Think about what if you had never done something that you find significant in your life? How would your story be different? How would who you are right now be fully changed? So after my dad died senior year, I thought that I was going to go to Louisiana to go to college. I had my heart set on going to one specific university. That was my plan, right? I was going to be a pre med major.

0:16:40 - (Renada): Most of my family was in some kind of medical space, medical experience space. My sister was an EMT in the Air Force. My other sister did medical records in the army. My mom was an LVN. My dad was an or technician and had medical careers in the army. So naturally it was just a fit. I loved science. I'm going to go and be a pre med major. I'm going to be in Louisiana, and that's where I'm going. Always in my mind.

0:17:15 - (Renada): Then my mom asked me not to go so far away to go to college because obviously she could recognize with me not fully grieving, not having had that process, probably was not the healthiest choice and decision mentally. And she was right? So I went to school in Houston. Well, Houston was so different from where I grew up that it did not fit. It didn't feel right. So I went back home after a semester, only for years later, decade plus later, and I changed my major.

0:18:08 - (Renada): Changed my major to communications because the thought of having to deal with dead bodies after seeing my father was not something I was interested in. I knew I could not handle that appropriately. Changed my major, gave up on my whole plan only for years later. That desire to do something in the medical field with the human existence, human beings to reemerge, because that was always a natural part of who I was made to be.

0:18:53 - (Renada): It is a part of me, and it doesn't have to look like anybody else's thing. I don't have to live up to an expectation or an obligation from anybody else. It can be my thing. But time has told me, time tells the story of me and says, this is something that you are naturally going to gravitate towards because it's a part of who you are. And if I allowed myself not to be changed, if I didn't evolve, if I didn't see the evidence of not only fruit, but evolution and the hand of the Lord, because thankfully, I wasn't in Louisiana because I was in my freshman year of college during Hurricane Katrina.

0:19:51 - (Renada): So that would have been an experience that would have completely changed my life. And I don't have to forecast, I don't have to hypothesize, because using my time to do that, there's no benefit or value. I can recognize that there was good in honoring what I needed and recognizing that, okay, this may not be the best thing for me right now. And then allowing time to grow me, allowing evolution of who I am as a person to take place, to go back to being willing and receptive, to enter into that field.

0:20:53 - (Renada): And you have to be able to recognize when your time has not yet fully come, it's okay. It is okay to say, you know, there's an interest there, but I don't think I'm supposed to do that right now. It's okay to say, I would like to try this, but I will wait until I'm in a different space. It could be that that space means that there is some maturity that needs to take place. It could mean that there's some fear that you need to address.

0:21:24 - (Renada): It could mean that there's some trauma that you need to work through. It could mean that there are some cycles that you need to get out of. It is okay to say, my time has not yet fully come for this thing, but because I have dream and desires, I can see myself being there. I can see that one day I will get to the space where I can and where I will. It's just not right now. And that's okay. Because time tells your story.

0:22:05 - (Renada): One of my favorite verses is Romans 828 because we are reminded that all things work together for our good. Because when we choose to reciprocate the love of the Lord and we recognize that we are called and created for a purpose that surpasses what we understand, there is a full circle understanding. There is a full circle goodness that we get to come into, where the things that are a part of who we are build and bless us and then build and bless the people around us.

0:22:48 - (Renada): And that is how time reveals the purpose. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Ecclesiastes Eight six also says, there is a time and a way for everything that you are supposed to have. Everything that is assigned to your life, to your journey, to your path will come. And your path doesn't have to look like anybody else's path.

0:23:28 - (Renada): Your journey doesn't have to look like anybody else's journey because everything that you are going through, everything that you have experienced, all of the goodness, even the things that challenged you, that made you feel like, oh, this is so much, how can I be expected to do this? But you made it through. How can I even fathom that I am this person? But you're still here. That is a part of your story, that is a necessary part of your journey and your path.

0:24:11 - (Renada): Because we don't serve a God who is coincidental. The Lord God Almighty does nothing by accident. Everything is by sovereign design and provident intention. So all of your jobs, every job you've ever had mattered. Every person that you've ever come into contact with was intended. Now, how far you let a situation go, that was your choice. But you were supposed to come into contact with that person because there's a lesson there.

0:24:51 - (Renada): The blessings are in the lessons, the experiences, the way that you persevere, the way that you overcome, the way that you recognize your strengths, the way that you respond to the challenges for change. Because if it doesn't challenge you, it cannot change you. If it doesn't help you to evolve as a person, then there's no evidence of fruit. And your life is purposed. Time reveals purpose. It reveals it.

0:25:27 - (Renada): Think about the trajectory of your life. Think about every high point, every low point. What did that do? What did that shape and inform for you about who you are? There was intention there. There was purpose there. Every open door, every opportunity, every encounter matters because who you are is important for the spaces that you were made to stand in. And those are those moments when you understand your purpose as a reflection of a conversation or you understand your purpose as a result of an encounter or an exchange with someone else.

0:26:28 - (Renada): One of the things that really fascinated me over this past year was how many people we have come into contact with since moving back to Texas that have either lived or were at one point staying, residing in Hawaii. It is very interesting to me how you can see people throughout their movements. You can come to recognize something about somebody based on where they've lived or based on a part of their culture or based on an experience that they've had, that's all of those things working together for good.

0:27:26 - (Renada): Nothing is lost, nothing is wasted. There was a conversation that I had with my children about who it is that they see themselves being, what are their interests as of recent. And a lot of their interests have changed, but a lot of them have stayed the same. And it's interesting to me as a mom because I wonder, okay, so how is this going to become reflected in what they do in high school, in college, what they choose as a career?

0:28:19 - (Renada): Because those encounters, those experiences that they've had, those understandings and the awareness of their journey will come full circle. It will work together for their good. And I am excited to see how that translates for them, because it matters. Time reveals purpose. And the things that you naturally gravitate towards, the things that you have already accomplished, the evolution and evidence of who you are is all a part of your purpose.

0:29:07 - (Renada): And nothing is wasted. Nothing is wasted because time honors truth. Who you are at your ueust, you at your ueus. The central part, the most core, true essence of you is a truth. It is a truth that was written in time and in space. Because the Lord knew you before he formed you, before you came to be in the physical. You existed in the spiritual by the hands of the Creator of all things, by the master designer.

0:30:05 - (Renada): That is you. That is who he has created and intended for you to be. And that is a truth. Habakkuk Habakkuk. However you'd like to say it, two, three is such a powerful verse because it says that the vision, the ultimate picture of who you are is for an appointed time. It is an ever evolving picture that comes into focus. It does not lie. Even if you feel like your journey, your path, your walk is taking longer than what you would like, it matters.

0:31:01 - (Renada): It is for an appointed time because that is what is necessary for you to be fully equipped and prepared to stand in the places that have been made for you, that only fit you. It is necessary that vision, the clarity of that picture comes closer and closer and closer into focus. It becomes sharpened, it becomes refined, it becomes enhanced. As you move through your journey, as you take into tomorrow the lessons of today, as you allow yourself to be changed for the good.

0:31:58 - (Renada): As you understand and interpret your experiences through right understanding so that you're protecting your peace, so that you're just owning you, so that you're not allowing trauma thinking or not really understanding how to honor your boundaries, to diminish your purpose, to stifle your progress. I love that there is evolution and evidence of fruit in our lives because it shows that we are progressing.

0:32:41 - (Renada): And even if your fruit is not gigantic, even if you don't have cantaloupe sized fruit, but you have grape sized fruit, that fruit is yours. It is intended for you to see the evidence of your progress, your evolution. And it doesn't have to look like anybody else's, anything because it is for an appointed time. And even if your fruit seems like it's taken a long time to grow or it's not big as somebody else's, don't compare yourself.

0:33:21 - (Renada): Don't allow comparison to steal your joy, to steal your peace because it says that the vision of you will surely come and it will be at the right time. So keep working, keep striving, keep moving, because it matters. It all matters. And your journey is intended for you and then for you to share it with others so that people can encounter the good, so that they recognize, oh, there is something valuable about the journey, there is something valuable about the process of growth.

0:34:29 - (Renada): I am deserving of change. I can evolve. Evolution is a gift to me as a person because it's showing that there is evidence of fruit. It is showing that I am growing. Think about all of the things that you didn't think that you were going to make it through. Think about all of the things that you thought just were so hard and impossible in the moment and how you came out on the other side. That can only happen because the Lord's timing is perfect.

0:35:13 - (Renada): His timing works to bring together our path with His Providence so that you get to see your story. The Messiah knew his time had not yet fully come. He knew that there were still some things that had to take place. He knew that there was still preparation happening in the background so that when he got to the place where it was his time, he was fully equipped and ready to do all of the things he was supposed to do.

0:35:47 - (Renada): And it is the same for each of us. It is the same for you. You matter and your journey matters. So even if you feel like it's taking a long time, don't give up. You're on track. You're in purpose. The fact that you're listening to this right now is evidence of evolution. It is evidence of fruit that you are growing and you are allowing whatever challenges you face to change you for the better. So that you get to stand fully ready and equipped in the places made for you.

0:36:42 - (Renada): So that when that time comes, when you meet the Providence and the purpose of your life, because we have a purpose for our lives every day. Every day that you wake up, there is purpose and providence intended for you. And as you stand in that space, you get to look back and see your story. You get to see how you were better today than you were yesterday. You get to recognize where maybe there is still some change that needs to take place.

0:37:21 - (Renada): And so you make yourself receptive to evolve in this way. If you're dealing with anger, you're making it a point not to respond today the way you reacted yesterday. If you're dealing with regret, you are going to choose today to be present and to be fully aware so that there's nothing left for you to hold on to or to be regretful about. Tomorrow, if you're struggling to be patient with yourself, you're going to remind yourself today, one day at a time, one moment at a time.

0:38:03 - (Renada): I am going to do all I can do right now because that's all I can do. And you're going to slow down and give yourself an opportunity to measure your moments so that things don't overwhelm you, so that they don't cloud your focus. If you're dealing with shame or guilt, you're going to forgive yourself today so that you can be free to live in the light of truth and understand that there is no condemnation for what you've done.

0:38:45 - (Renada): There is no condemnation for what you've experienced. Your journey matters. Your life matters. And you were made for time to tell the story of how you have overcome because there was a goodness, the hand, the providence, the protection, the power of the living God that was holding you because the blood of his son was covering you even when you didn't recognize it. And then you have the opportunity to profess that for yourself and say, I am made whole by a savior who is faithful, who saw the best in me when I didn't see it in myself.

0:39:31 - (Renada): Because he knew that time would tell the story of my life and that other people needed to hear it, other people needed to see it, they needed to understand it. Because my life is purposed. So when time tells my story, it's going to reveal my purpose. When time tells my story, it's going to honor the truth of who I am. I am worthy. I am loved. I am deserving. I am capable. That is the truth. So let's self check.

0:40:16 - (Renada): Are you rushing your journey? Are you not allowing time to tell you what you need to know or to show you where you still need to have some growth? Are there some challenges that you are not allowing to change you? Is there a way that you could be giving yourself more more of your own good, more of your own patience? Is there something that you are struggling with because you aren't giving yourself time to see the purpose and the value in it?

0:41:05 - (Renada): You just want it to be over. You just want it to be done. I don't like this test. I don't like this season. I don't like this space. I don't like this challenge. And so you're trying to rush instead of recognizing. Have you stopped to see the truths that time has allowed you to encounter about yourself? And some of those can be hard truths. Some of those truths can be, hey, you're operating too graciously.

0:41:46 - (Renada): Where you should have more boundaries. Time will tell you, hey, you're not giving yourself enough time. You're not giving yourself enough focus. You're not giving yourself enough good. That's why your health is the way that it is, because you're trying to manage everybody else's, everything. It's time trying to tell you, hey, that's not a burden that you're supposed to bear. Set a boundary and let it bless you.

0:42:18 - (Renada): It's time trying to tell you that you're holding on to the ideal of someone, the idea of a person instead of the reality of who they are. If you let it, time will tell you. And time will show you the truth. Because it honors truth. It will not lie. You deserve to value your journey. You deserve to enjoy your path and allow time to tell the story of how you are growing into the best version of yourself.

0:43:11 - (Renada): Because you are giving yourself what you need. You are recognizing where boundaries need to be set. You are understanding that the challenges are supposed to change you for the better. So that you have evidence of evolution. You have evidence of fruit that says, I used to be that person, but I'm not anymore. I used to feel that way, but I don't anymore. I used to hold on to bitterness and anger, but I am not going to anymore.

0:43:45 - (Renada): I deserve good. I deserve to be whole. I deserve to be free and blessed. Because I have a savior who said that he came, that I might have life and have it to the fullest. So he sacrificed for me when I could not do for myself. So that I can live in the light of truth, know the truth and be set free and recognize where time is trying to tell me these things. Give yourself that opportunity today. Make your moments matter.

0:44:20 - (Renada): Live in the light of truth, because you deserve that. And don't forget to take into tomorrow the lessons of today. Be gracious. Be patient. Be loving to yourself. I am so proud of you. Please know that you are doing good things. You got this. It is not easy, but you are doing it. And you deserve your own good. May the peace of Yah be yours. Be blessed. We'll talk soon. Have a good day. It.