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Time and Motive

Updated: Aug 19, 2025


As I'm caring for my mother, I want to be fully present in the moment. To be able to rise to the occasion as a woman of faith, daughter, sister, and leader. So, I'm allowing God to speak to me even in this part of our journey.


I also am allowing myself to be very human and vulnerable. Today I was reminded of two things: one time and another motive. Both familiar messages, however, rang loudly today.


Time is one of life’s greatest mysteries. Merriam-Webster defines it as “the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.” While scientists and physicists strive to understand time, it remains one of the most elusive concepts known.


The Ancient Egyptians began measuring time with sundials, but God’s perspective is far different from ours. As 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”


This verse is both comforting and challenging. It reminds us that God is not bound by our clocks, calendars, or deadlines. He moves according to His will and His plan, not ours. We do not know the length of time we have on this earth, which makes both time and life precious commodities. We cannot stop it. We cannot slow it down. But we can choose to make the most of the time we’ve been given. That choice is ours.

(Adapted from my book, Destiny Chaser)


This truth has become more personal than ever as I sit with my mother during this season of her life. God has graciously given her more time, and I want to make the most of every moment we have together.


This morning, over an early cup of coffee, she dozed in and out, but not before she shared a word of wisdom that caused me to examine my own heart. She began to share these thoughts. “What is your motive? There’s a spirit behind what you do.”


"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits."

Proverbs 16:2 (KJV)


This wasn’t a new lesson, but a review of one of her most profound teachings to me over the years. Our motives matter! The spirit in which we do anything produces fruit from the seed in which it was sown. Our motives shape the fruit of our labor, the blessings we receive in our lives, and even the way our legacy is carried forward in time.


"I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

Jeremiah 17:10 (KJV)


She then began to recall one of the last moments she spent with her mother, my grandmother, Mama Winnie. She shared with me how her mother had asked her to take her to the local 5 & Dime store. After working a long, tiring day, she was reluctant to go. But out of love and respect for her mother, she honored her request. She recalled how Mama Winnie had bought her a shawl as a thank-you gift for taking her. She remembered how her mother was excited and full of joy to be with her. It was one of the last personal moments and times she would spend with her mother before she suffered a massive stroke.


That story filled my heart. Time. Motive. Legacy. None of us knows how much time we have, or how much time our loved ones have. What matters is our hearts! The love we have and how we honor time can create even the smallest acts into moments of great significance.


Deep for 6:30 a.m., but here I sit, taking in and holding onto the lessons of two women: my mother and my grandmother. Motive and time are heavy on my mind these days. And as I process this sacred season, my prayer is simple:


“Lord, create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).


I want to capture this moment in my heart. My motive: to be grateful for the more time she prayed for, and to honor the gift of this woman I call Mom.


"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

Colossians 3:23 (KJV)


Learn More About Dr. Pamela Cone, Sunday Mornings with Pamela Cone & Wisdom & Grace, Wisdom & Grace - Sister Circle

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