R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts

"We never shall have more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is. ~Arnold Bennett, English Writer 1700s

If you are in the middle of your divorce, that whole process takes up an unbelievable amount of time. Meetings with attorneys. Filling out the paperwork. Trying to figure out a budget if you have no idea how much money you will have. Along with everything else it is, divorce is incredibly time-consuming. I remember when I was going through my divorce those first couple of years, December was a blur. Often, you are trying to sell your house or get it ready to sell, or moving or trying to find a job. You're taking care of things, that two of you used to do. Even though you take things off of your TO DO list, the divorce adds ten things to take each one's place. And the courts don't leave much room for flexibility. Things must be done by a certain court date or other deadline. This morning in preparing for this Daily R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thought I read lots of things about time like the quotation above, and it sort of hit me all of a sudden. I've heard it before, but we each have a certain number of hours in this new day that has been set before us. Even though we each have obligations that must be met today, some of which we have no control over, we can choose not to fret about time today. I can choose to go about what we have to do with a certain consciousness and realization that the hours of this new day are a blessing, regardless of what I have to get done. I will calmly, purposely go about doing what I need to do with as much grace as I possibly can. I will be as efficient and as productive as I can be, and then I'll not worry. I will take it in stride when something unexpected (and time consuming) disrupts my day like so often happens during divorce. Living with the idea that God is in charge even of the days of December in the middle of a divorce adds not only hours to the day, but as Solomon also says in his Proverbs, it expands your life. Accept this day with gratitude whatever it holds. If nothing else, keep in mind that the things you do today can move you toward a conclusion of your divorce, and that means you are closer to healing and moving forward. Commit the day to God and ask his help in not wasting these precious hours. Use this next minute ... right now to take a deep breath and say, "Thank you for this day. Help me use the hours in it for your glory." God has promised to help us not only use it for his glory, but for our good as well. Take hold of that promise.

"The fear of the Lord adds hours to your day."
Proverbs