Draw a Line in the Sand

As a lover of prose and dialogue that entices my mind, I read a post recently that was well worth sharing.  (I asked for permission to share this):  

What the world!? Let me be transparent for a minute.

So you want me to GIVE you my skills, knowledge, time, energy for free because I have a good heart! Bye Boo! I got bills too! My gifts shall supply for me. My time is as valuable as yours and I don't yet own a gas station, car lot or endless supply of coins. 

If they don't have your check today don't trip..... it was out the goodness of your heart.

Yes I have a proven track record and knowledge of getting things done a that's why you called me in the first place.

Serving the community is one thing and business is another. So please don't be offended when you call me to consult with you on business/ something you're going to profit on that requires more than a 15 minute phone call (that's the free) and I send you an invoice to be paid before I show up.

I bill my own children for certain things because I know my worth. Ijs!  

~ Meta Crawford

You can jump in at any point to draw your own opinion BUT, I totally understand her position.  Far be it from me to seek to explain the details of her heart when she posted this.  I would imagine that her time may have been violated (at least once) and clarity was needed to be be openly expressed.

FOR ME, everyone has 24-hours every day.  How we choose to spend it is totally up to us.  Good bad or indifferent results are by choice and sometimes by chance.  We live in the present, we have a past and we look to the future.  Whatever we do today lays a foundation for our future.  My former pastor, Pastor Ron Carpenter, Jr. preached via illustration about planting seeds.  This is NOT a direct quote - but I recall him saying "you plant seeds with intention".  "If you throw corn seeds into the ground, you will reap corn, right"?  FOR ME, this illustration became very clear.  We do a lot of things with intent.  We throw seeds of life into a sexual experience KNOWING that "something" will come of it (pregnancy, soul ties, AIDS, adultery, a stolen (sometimes regretful) moment).  We become numb because of seeds we have knowingly sown - but ahhhhh - there are seeds sown that we know nothing about too.  Recently, Pastor Ron Carpenter did a FaceBook live prayer he titled "Unusual Attacks". He spoke about generational curses passed on to us.  I listened to this prayer several times and then prayed over my home and TODAY marks the day the generational curses end!!  If someone says a particular trait or behavior "runs in the family" - as of TODAY, the "buck stops her because "IT" does NOT run in MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY anymore.

I digress.

TIME is such a precious commodity.  It is so easy to GIVE AWAY and while you can make more money - any good hustle will do - you cannot make more TIME.  When I read meta's post - I began to re-evaluate the times I gave away time.  GIVING TIME away hurts particularly when you offered the wealth of your life experience - for the person to "do things their way ANYWAY" - to return for you to pour MORE TIME into them and help pray for them AGAIN for something they were warned NOT to do in the first place.  We are ALL a work in progress and if we do not set boundaries for ourselves, people will take kindness for weakness.

I applaud Meta for her transparency!  I applaud her for making me THINK.  I applaud Meta for drawing the line in the sand in print.  Long after a phone call is over, dialogue becomes a issue of how the receiver interprets what was said.  In print - there is no question.  They can be kindly directed to "read it again".

I am still a work in progress and I love it when I see people who have been in horrible situations recover BUT - I do value my time.  I am learning to use my TIME wisely.

How does a seed burst forth - it comes out of the DIRT!  

Draw a line in the sand.  Save a little bit of YOU - for YOU.  

Let's continue to grow.