It's so funny how time seems to go so slowly when we are children. I remember feeling like I was in the 4th grade forever. Our 30 minute recess seemed to last half the day. I swung on the monkey bars, slid down the slide and climbed up it too. The older I got the more quickly time flew and with it came the saying, "There's not enough time in the day." One minute I celebrated my eighteenth birthday and the next, eight years had passed and I was preparing to marry the love of my life. It is true, life goes by in a flash. We only have so much time to define who we are and make an impact on this Earth. These thoughts bring a wide range of questions to my mind. More than wealth or any material substance, time is our most precious commodity. Just as I ask myself, I challenge you to answer the following questions: What are you doing with your time? And are the people or the hurts in your space worthy to occupy it?

Whether we believe it or not, there is a cost to everything. I have heard over and over in my life that freedom isn't free. By all standards I have found that to be a fact. There is a cost to every decision that we make, especially how we choose to prioritize our time. Many of us have examples of relationships that were time wasters. People that we knew deep down, were not good for us but we ignored the signs. I've stayed at jobs, when I knew that it was time to go, but I was too afraid of stepping out on faith to pursue what God was really telling me to do. Counting the cost can be plain scary cause it can mean multiple things. It could mean that you will get a resounding no to something that you want to say yes to. Counting the cost could expose that your life is not actually where you think it is or what you want it to be. One thing is for sure, counting the cost and following Godly wisdom yields fruit that not only can be enjoyed in this life but is eternal.

What do I mean by all of this? There is one thing that is undisputed - the mere presence of time make us each responsible for what we do with it. We can't blame anyone but ourselves if our time on this Earth is not what we would like or make it. No matter what happens, what you are saddled with that is beyond your control, or the consequences that you are living with due to bad choices, time still speaks and calls for you to respond. We must all respond. It is our response that determines the quality of our lives and outlines the impact we make on the world around us. When hate is thrown at us, do we respond with love or do we return hate for hate? If we are wronged, do we open our hearts and forgive or do we hold a grudge? Time doesn't wait for us to make the right choice. It just ticks. The choice is ours - we can either choose forgiveness, or we can choose to wallow in our hurt or circumstance. If we choose the latter, we will not experience the freedom God has destined for our lives. Take a moment to think about what you are choosing. Biblical scripture denotes the importance and preciousness of time.
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I hope by reading this post today it causes you to reflect and then respond. There are some people, jobs, places, etc that need to be evicted from your life so that you can make the best use of your time. Some of us need to sit and count the cost of our actions. Is all that we are doing and saying really worth it? We need to move our thinking outside of our small world of convenience and familiarity and open the scope of our decisions to a higher authority. Only then can we experience the freedom we long for. Only then, will we have begun the process of paying the price for who we are meant to be.

May God bless you to Live for God, Live with Purpose and Live your life Out Loud.
-Christine A. Houston

We all know the game. Once someone has been selected to count, everyone hides in the most unexpected places hoping to not to be found. As a child, I played this game many times during recess at school or with friends in our apartment complex. How often does its principles transfer over into real life? In the larger scheme of things each of us, on a daily basis, are being pursued. I'm not talking about a creepy stalker who waits anxiously to view your every move. I am referring to a loving God who waits patiently for us to stop running and answer His call. It's incredible. There are approximately 7 billion people that inhabit the Earth and God is seeking to have a relationship with all of them, including you.

The game Hide and Seek has its blatant and intentional purpose. When we think about why we hide in our daily lives, the reasons are more pervasive and subtle. Typically hiding, especially from God, delves into a realm of shame. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they deviated from their normal conversation with God in the open and hid in humiliation and embarrassment because of their sin (Genesis 3:8). If you read my About Me tab on my website you know that I grew up a believer and was saved since I was 9 years old. Knowing and serving God does not exempt anyone from one day finding themselves hiding from Him. Some of you who read this may blow this off completely. You may think that you have nothing to hide - you are who you are right? Yet somehow, some way there may be an area lurking in your secret place where you will find  that you are hiding from God. An area that you won't let anyone, even God touch. You will know the area I am talking about once you see it. 

It is usually held up by all the walls you have created around it. Most times you are defensive and sensitive about it when anyone brings it up or it becomes a topic of discussion. It lurks unsuspectedly and takes root in the foundation of your life. While you don't know it, you find its influence seeping into your reaction and responses on a daily basis. What is it for you? For me it was this little companion called Perfect. I held this standard for myself that had to be fulfilled and anything that disturbed it would catch my wrath. This wasn't something that I cultivated over night, no it started with a vow. I promised myself to always do the right thing and to not make mistakes or avoid them. The trouble is, life's greatest lessons are birthed out of our mistakes and failures. Each proceeding failure I had, came to me as a devastating loss. When I stopped hiding it, God began to rework this area in my life. He pursued me, never relenting. He consistently showed me through any means necessary that I did not have to maintain this standard. He showed me that I could live flawed and fangled with beauty and class. 

In one season of my life every sermon I heard, lecture I took in graduate school, or discussion I had with my husband pointed me toward the same goal. God was calling me toward freedom. God did not call us to live in bondage in hiding. He calls us to be free to experience the power of being found. I use to think I didn't have a testimony. I grew up in church and had a life filled with love. What could I tell anyone? A lot. God's pursuit of me was on full display for my heart to see that it doesn't take much to tear the walls down and let God into the areas that he was once forbidden. Let Him in. Let Him into the hurt and the pain. Allow God to heal the wound that is several years old but is still sensitive to the touch. Open up your soul to a the greatest peace that you can ever find. Stop running and allow Him to catch you. He is seeking you to forgive and to bless those who hurt you. His love seeks to purify you of the unrest and confusion you have suffered for too long. Your freedom is your responsibility.

​What is required takes courage and faith. Good news, you don't have to have a whole lot of it; mustard seed faith is all you need to start. For some of you that means simply surrendering to God and walking through the doors of a local church that has been on your mind to attend. It may mean publicly declaring Christ as your savior. Perhaps you need to stop living a double life and fully cling to Christ. For others it means forgiveness and letting go of the wounds of the past. You may be the one that needs to unapologetically go after your dreams. Whatever it is that we may be hiding from, no matter the reason, God is seeking us. I pray we turn around, stop hiding and seek Him too. 

May you be blessed to Live for God, Live with Purpose, and Live your life Out Loud. 
-Christine

This song is on repeat. I just love it!