Don’t give away what no one can take away

Now that Christmas is over, we've officially ended the gift-giving season. I hope you got some amazing gifts over the holidays. It doesn't matter how expensive, rare, or precious the gifts were. I hope the gifts that you received communicated someone's love to you.

The most important and enduring gifts you will ever give don't have a price tag. Your most important assets can never be taken away from you, nor can you be forced to give them away. These are the gifts that cannot be replicated. Don’t give away what no one can take away from you.

How and where you give the following gifts determines what's most important to you. Without militant attention to a few key areas, you will let something or someone unworthy have your most precious gifts. When you give these gifts away, you are essentially giving yourself away. Ensure you give your best gifts to the best people or parts of your life. Don't give away the most precious parts of your life.

Here are four areas where you should be exceedingly stingy about your gifts:

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, time slips away before you realize what has happened to it. Time is life’s ultimate currency. Since no person can create more time than another, time serves as the great equalizer among all humanity. It is your most valuable resource.

We all recognize how precious time is, yet most of us, myself included, tend to waste it carelessly. Every minute that passes is a minute we can never reclaim, so it’s crucial to be intentional about how we use our time. Stop giving away your most valuable gift to people or projects that don’t deserve your time. Decide to focus your efforts on what matters most to you.

Before you start your day, set clear goals for what you want to accomplish. This is an important discipline because any endeavor requires energy. Treat your energy level like your car’s fuel gauge. You can’t drive once the car is empty. Nor can you give meaningful tasks the energy they deserve if you’ve exhausted yourself on unworthy endeavors. Energy is the fuel that propels us through our day-to-day lives. Guarding your energy is crucial for maintaining your physical and emotional well-being.

You’ll continue giving yourself away until you recognize the energy drains in your life. Identify activities, environments, or people that sap your energy. Once you identify these drains, you can take steps to minimize your exposure to them. Surround yourself with positive, uplifting influences that rejuvenate you. Avoid multitasking and create distraction-free moments in your daily routine.

Learn to say no! Your most powerful tool for shaping the life you desire is your ability to say no. Recognize your limits and understand that it's perfectly fine to decline invitations or commitments that don't align with your priorities. This will create space for what truly matters. Saying no is the only way to prevent others from taking your focus away.

Here’s a practical way to get this area of your life under control. Make a list of activities that energize you or bring joy. Whether it's spending time with loved ones, a hobby, or a goal, prioritize these moments in your schedule. You’ll sleep much better at night knowing that you spent the best part of your day focused on the areas of life that mean the most to you and give you the most satisfaction.

Even Jesus needed to replenish his time and energy. He regularly withdrew from the crowds to be along with his disciples. He even left his disciples to spend time alone with his father. Your soul needs time to recover after hard exercise, just like any other muscle in the human body. It takes courage and hope to place your faith in someone or something.

Protect this vital area of your life just as diligently as you would any other. The spiritual aspect of your existence is not only real but equally significant as your physical being. Therefore, it’s crucial to be vigilant against placing your trust in anything or anyone that is unworthy. Remember, safeguarding your spirit is key to holistic wellbeing, ensuring that you nurture and cultivate authentic connections that elevate your soul.

When you combine all four of these areas, they encapsulate what makes you unique. It's accurate to say that you are defined by where you invest your time, energy, focus, and faith. When you allocate these resources, you might be giving your life to someone or something unworthy. Don’t surrender what cannot be taken from you by giving yourself away to anyone or anything less deserving of your best time, energy, focus, and faith.