What would you do if you only had five years left to live? Dallas Willard was battling cancer when he said, “he regretted all the time he wasted, not because he compared himself to other more efficient people, but because he began to see what life could be” (pg. 191). Dallas Willard was a pretty famous Christian speaker, writer and ministry leader but he even wondered how much more there could be in life if he had redeemed the time he had been given.

Dallas explained that if he had  redeemed his time, he would have been able to say yes or no without anxiety, speak honestly and confidently, willingly disappoint people as well as bless people, fill his mind with noble thoughts, share without thinking, see without judging, and been ever so humble that each person he saw would be an object of wonder and he would have loved God (pg. 191).

What would you do to redeem the time you have left? I would like to live with the truth of what God says to me and be a soul-full person doing some pretty amazing stuff for God! I would like to live my life a little more boldly and expectantly and with a lot less fear and worry. 

A character in the Bible who lived a redeemed life is Joseph, a young boy sold into slavery by his own step-brothers. Yet, Joseph knew he was going to be great. He had been given a dream. He bragged about it to his brothers and told them they would one day bow down to him. He believed what God showed him. But I wonder how Joseph felt when he sat in the dungeon for years. Did he still believe God then? Did Joseph realize in his heart he would one day become the Ruler of Egypt and save his people? I think he did. It was wild for sure but inside his heart, he knew what he was destined for. I think you and I do, too.

Have you heard God’s voice showing you what He has for you? Is it something great but hard waiting and trusting Him for it? I encourage you to believe and care for your soul in the meantime by, “arranging your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God” (pg. 89). Let God develop your soul and lead you into His plans for you. Don’t get discouraged and give up. He has too great of a plan for you to do that.

If you have your Soul Keeping book, read page 191 about what  a redeemed soul looks can be. Then, get out a pen and some paper and determine what the life you are called to be living looks like. Make a bulleted list of at least 5 things you know God is showing you about the life He is calling you to live. Make people ask what they asked at Dallas’ funeral: “How did such a life happen” (pg. 194)?

Many blessings as you care for the most precious part of you. . . your soul!