I wish I had more time to...
What time do I have to be at....?
How long will it take me to....?
Is it bedtime yet?
There's just not enough time in the day!
We have all heard this before but we all need to hear it again: We all make time for what we really want. What I love about Chapter 12 is the perspective Dr Stephens writes from. I think women can often feel guilted into stuffing their days too full as they compare themselves to others. But our driving force for how we spend our time should not be based on what we feel we should be doing, or even what we want to be doing. Our days should revolve around what God is calling us to do.
Dr. Stephens writes, "When people think of the term stewardship, it is automatically money. You, Son, will one day give an account to God for how you spent all the time He gave you. This is much bigger than money." (page 137) Just as stewardship of money involves all your money, not just what you give; so it is with time, we cannot simply "give" God a little time during the week at church, small groups, etc... and think that what the rest is ours to spend as we please. You see, God has placed vision, dreams, convictions and callings in all of us. And all of these require TIME.
We learn to guard our minds, our hearts and our tongues. But we must not forget to guard our time as well. Want to know if you are good about guarding your time? Look at your calendar and see if it clearly shows your priorities. Our time is so easily filled by the urgent needs that what is truly important falls to the wayside. So what do you do if you feel you don't have enough time or if you calendar does not reflect your priorities?
1. Do not believe the lies you are continually told about time. Pray about gaining God's perspective of time. Just like money, His view is quite different than what our world would tell us.
- For starters, your time is not your own if you have surrendered your life to God.
- You DO have enough time in the day to do all you need to. But this means knowing what to say no to.
- One that may be painful- you are not busier than everyone else. I think we have all had those days, weeks or even seasons where we felt like we were going non-stop. It is very easy in the middle of this to begin to be isolated by feeling like we are busier than those around us. We may falsely believe that nobody understands how busy we are.
- Busyness does not equal productivity. You may be very busy but you may be too busy and therefore wearing yourself out. Or you may be busy with things that are not what you are truly called to be doing.
2. Hold everything in your life with an open hand. What do I mean? Everything is God's including our time and our activities. Spend time praying about your weeks. What is taking up your time that is not beneficial? Are there things that God is calling you to say no to? What do you need to make time for?
3. Ask for wisdom from others. Having another set up of eyes on your calendar can only help you! First, if you are married you should be spending many conversations with your spouse about your time and how it is spent. Seek wisdom from other women, especially those who have gone through a similar season as you. You need someone to push you to fulfill what you are capable of but also protect your time.
4. Find a routine! Routine helps free up more time and build margin in keeping you organized. Creating a routine allows you to start with your priorities keep those at the forefront. It is no secret that I am an avid organizer. I organize and plan just about everything. But I do this so that I have freedom and peace. Staying organized allows a much greater level of capacity in your life.
I have touch on one more topic. In being faithful to do what God has called you to, there is going to be a lot of your time that is spent doing very unglamorous things! Please never confuse the mundane as unimportant. Whether it is daily tasks at your job, cleaning your home or serving you family- be faithful because it is often these small things that add up to the greatest impact.
Wow! Brianna, your post is right on. Time is a huge factor for me. I usually am time police and have had to let those things go. I agree, it is what we do with the time we have been given. I know that I can make better use of my time or God's time. I agree that time is just like money in that we should steward it under the grace of God. I wake up every morning and say- ok God what will you have us do today or how can we honor you today. However, I do not always steward my time or plan for the day, so I am more apt to spend it idly. This was a good reminder. Time and planning go hand in hand. When we prioritize our time and plan we an be more aware of the opportunities God may give us outside of our normal schedule AND it won't be a burden on us or our schedule. I am still learning in this area and like Dr. Stephens writes ... personal growth is a passion not a pastime.
ReplyDelete