I've only just a minute

I've only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can't refuse it,
Didn't seek it, didn't choose it,
But it's up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give an account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.

By Dr. Benjamin E. Mays


I can’t remember any of my phone numbers while growing up, all of my many pet’s name, and or what exactly my childhood address was but I remember this poem. I’m not sure where exactly I first heard it or why it stuck with me through all these years but something about God’s Minute was so important to me that I can remember as a child, teen, and adult reciting it word for word. It always seemed to offer comfort and give me something to hold on and look forward to.

Our minutes aren’t our own. Each of them belong to God. No matter what life deals us through the day-to-day details; Someone stronger, bigger, and better than us owns the minutes that make up our lives. Isn’t that comforting considering how hard life can sometimes be? Our Father who has promised to care for us, love us, and never leave us has been with us through ever minute we have ever faced.

He was there the minute we were born, the minute we met our spouse, the minute our children were born and He will be there the minute we die. He holds us through the hard times and smiles at us through the good times. He knows that each minute we face is filled with sin and temptation. He understands that stress and exhaustion sometimes fill our minutes. He’s there through the disappointing minutes, the sorrowful minutes and the minutes we spend celebrating and laughing. He loans us each minute and promises that we will never have to meet one without His presence.

While you’re using the minutes that will eventually make up this day, stop and spend some of them with God. Thank Him for the love, concern, and time He have given and continues to give us. And remember: God owns our minutes, it’s up to us how we will use them.

So how are you using yours?