Give Me One Minute

Sometimes life make me feel like I am being pulled in every direction at once. Sometimes its work doing the pulling and at other times it’s family responsibilities.

This week it was my kids. If one child needed my attention, it would occur at the same time the other one needed me. If one child climbed into my lap, it would be the exact moment the other just happened to have the desire to cuddle as well. A little sibling game of tug of war with mommy as the rope.

In the middle of the tugging, I found myself repeatedly saying “Please just give me one minute.” During one of my request, my youngest son protested “One minute is too long!”  Really?

His reply got me thinking. In the 24 hours we are given each day, one minute seems pretty insignificant. What can you really do in one minute? Can sixty seconds of anything make a difference?

My biochemistry roots automatically sent my mind on a search to find some data on what one minute could accomplish.  In one minute a 150 woman can burn 10 calories a minute doing jumping jacks, burpees, or push-ups. Ten calories is not too impressive, but 10 x 30 days is 300 calories, not to mention the strength and muscle mass you gain. In one year that one minute is actually enough to see a pound of weigh loss. Since most people gain weight each year, any weight loss or stabilization is a health bonus.

What about spiritually? I wish I could say I pray and read my Bible daily. Honestly I don’t and my usual excuse is that I simply don’t have time. But now I hear the Savior gently whisper “Give me one minute.”

One minute.  Is that all He wants? Surely not. But in a society where we are pulled away from His presence by so many things, some time with God is better than no time.

If God was a yelling, screaming, in your face type god it would be easy to walk away from His requests. But when His Spirit confronts you, it melts your heart and makes you want to say yes. Click to Tweet

And so my experiment begins!  What can God do with one minute? Can one minute change my mood and renew hope? Can one minute improve my life? Can one minute make a difference?

If I knew what God could do in one minute, I probably wouldn’t be writing this but I don’t. So I’ve decided to give Him at least one minute daily and I invite you to join this one minute challenge with me. Each evening I will post a one minute challenge. When you see the challenges on the I Choose My Best Life Facebook Page, stop and do it.

At the end of the month let’s meet back here on the site and share our one minute with God stories. And for those who would like a little health challenge thrown in, I’m also sharing daily one minute fitness challenges.

Healthy temple, renewed mind, and a clean heart. That is my desire for me and for you.

Ready for your first One Minute Challenge: 

Are you up for the challenge? Let me know in the comments below!

Saundra Dalton-Smith is an internal medicine physician, author, speaker, and hope activist. She shares with audiences nationwide on the topics of eliminating limiting emotions and helps them see their options in life. She is the founder of I Choose My Best Life, a movement to renew hope in a generation where depression, stress, and fear is peaking. Her books include Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves (2011) and Come Empty: Healing For Every Place Life’s Hurt You (2015).