Time.

I’ve got too much time on my hands. Too much time on my hands. Too much time. Great song from the 80s and Broadway musical if you know the reference.

There are probably billions of people on this earth that wish they had too much time on their hands. But let me tell you, the grass is always greener. With tons of free time comes tons of thoughts spinning round and round the ole noggin. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the worst thing. I am not complaining… (too much). But with this great power comes great responsibility. And I’m not trying to use some cliché saying just for kicks. I actually mean that. Being given the gift of free time is a huge responsibility. Especially coming from a Christian standpoint. How do I use all of this precious time that God has given me in a responsible way? How can I benefit God? How can I slow down the unwanted thoughts in my mind and put the good ones to use?

I guess this is one of my many official prayers to the man upstairs. Dear God, SEND HELP! Send guidance. Send me a sign of what to do. Currently, the plan is to learn something new. I thought diving into the Spanish language would be a great thing. However, I have this urge to learn a new trade or craft. Something that could be financially rewarding in the future. And of course, that may sound selfish. How can I just think of making money? However, the more money I make, the more I can give back to God, which I admit I need to be doing more of in general with what I already have. So much time. So many questions. So many unknowns. Is it irony that as I am writing this, the main theme song from Frozen 2, Into the Unknown, is playing in my iTunes? I always get confused about irony ever since Alanis Morissette wrote a song about it but got it wrong. Is THAT irony?

Anyway, in Frozen 2, the character of Elsa keeps hearing this voice telling her to step out of her comfort zone and follow it into the unknown world. For the last few years I have been hearing that same voice. But the voice is not unknown to me. I have known all long it is the voice of God within me telling me to follow Him somewhere new. But where? The unknown is SCARY. I have been in the same comfort zone for almost 15 years, career wise. So how exactly do I follow God into the unknown? FAITH! And many, many, many prayers. And LISTENING. Going to that quiet place and really listening to Him as he uses the Holy Spirit to speak His will to me. That is how all of us follow God into the unknown!

With all this time on my hands, I am praying that I hear His voice sooner rather than later. But our timing and God’s timing do not always match up. “Your will be done”. Not mine. So I guess I need to also put on my patience pants, which admittedly do not fit well on me at times (I’ve been ordering way too much room service on my ship, but that’s a story for another day lol). But my final prayer for this moment is that He does not keep me waiting in the unknown for too long.

**When I wrote everything above, it was the end of January 2020. I was beginning another contract with Royal Caribbean playing Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever the musical for a second time. I was going to have loads of free time on a ship working only one day per week. Little did I know, my life was about to change. Every single human being’s life on earth was about to change. I would still have too much time on my hands, but now, all those billions of people all over the world would now be joining me in my predicament. The only thing that has not changed since I wrote this whole piece, is God. God is still present. And though billions more people are now asking the same questions I was asking about what to do with all this time, the answer remains the same. Seek God. Pray every single day and ask God what His will is for you during this pandemic. How can He use you? I am asking that very same question. Let us all listen and see what He reveals. Through all the confusion and misery our current situation is causing, there may just be an amazing gift waiting for us on the other end of this.

Praise Jesus!