I just put a brand new calendar on my desk for the New Year and frankly, it intimidates me a little. So much to do and although the calendar is blank right now (that's because I haven't started filling it in yet), I know that soon it will fill up fast with all varieties of events. Church events, family events, holidays, you name it! Before I know it I will be getting ready to set out the calendar for 2018 and will be asking myself where 2017 went.
Time is one of our most valuable assets. Scripture says that we are to be "making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). In the last blog I wrote that we are to be living in the moment and taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us; but what if we are also planning and using time management skills to enhance those moments? No one really knows what the future has in store but in our faithfulness we can plan to be used by God in mighty ways.
Consider the Israelites.Because they did not have faith in the promises of God, they were essentially condemned to waste time. Forty years of time...wasted. Just gone. What a tragedy! Can you imagine wandering around aimlessly, wasting precious time for forty years?!!! Yet, in his wisdom, Moses had a different concept of time. He wrote, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say 'Return, O children of Man!' For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:1-4). Moses understood the eternal nature of God. He understood the importance of time.
We are some of the busiest people to have ever walked on the planet...yet somehow also the least productive. We have reduced our lives to events that we can write down on desk calendars...but how many of those events will have any lasting significance or impact? What if you determined that you would read God's Word in its entirety in 2017? That takes time, right? How about choosing to intentionally disciple someone this year? More time. What if you were to spend a few minutes with God in prayer every morning? More time. What if you were to volunteer for a ministry at church? You guessed it, more time.
So where is all of this extra time going to come from? It has to come from intentionally adjusting your routine. Think about what consumes your time. Some will have some valid reasons why they are so busy...others will not. How much time do you spend watching television? How much time do you spend staring at your smartphone? How many hours have you spent on your favorite hobby? There is nothing inherently wrong with spending time doing these things, but are they the best use of your time? Instead of getting rid of your smartphone, television, or golf clubs altogether, could the time spent doing those things be adjusted so that you might have a little more margin in your life for the things of God? I think we need to assess our calendars and schedules a little better before responding that we are just too busy for one extra thing. Are we really that busy? Or are we wandering around the deserts of mindless daily activities for forty years. Maybe so...maybe not. Just think about it a little bit and see if your daily calendar is filled up with time-wasters. If so adjust...you've got the whole year ahead of you.
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