April 17, 2001
My ladies Bible class just finished a series called “Meeting God in Busyness.” The topic seems almost an oxymoron. How can a busy person find time to connect with God? Christians find busyness is one of our greatest tests of commitment to our Lord. Even at the best of times, we are so easily side-tracked from our dependence on Him. When we are busy, we need Him the most but how can a person stop that ticking clock long enough to touch base with God?
Everyone in the class agreed that God belongs in more than just in our most pious moments. We are Christians all the time, not merely when we feel ‘religious’ or are filled with spiritual thoughts. Jesus lives within us, not Sunday morning only but seven days of the week and in all situations. Our task was finding out how to make that reality a practical part of every day.
One thing we talked about is that the word ‘priority’ is singular. So what is the one most important thing in our lives? God? Or our to-do lists? If we say we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, then we must spend quality time with Him. Also, He must be consulted regarding our daily plans and every decision.
The class also noticed that spending time with God at the beginning, before the rush begins, has a positive result. Our worship, Bible study and prayer time produces an inner peace and strength that reduces the pressures of busyness that would otherwise takes us down.
We discussed how stress is not always from our to-do list. Sometimes it is a result of unsettled issues, such as sin, broken relationships, fear or doubt. Since God forgives and cleanses sin, heals interpersonal conflicts, and erases fear and doubt, meeting with Him reduces that stress too. Without the strain of those issues, busyness is less likely to negatively affect our emotions.
Another discovery was that obeying God makes a difference in our fatigue levels. Sometimes we rebel in subtle ways, like saying ‘yes’ to something that God asks us to turn down or deny. Even if it is not a sinful activity, it could be adding one more item to the list which the straw that can break our backs. We need to listen to Him because by refusing to do what God asks, we can wind up doing far more than we wanted, simply as a consequence of not listening to Him. Even if obedience seems like ‘more’ or ‘too much’ up front, the Lord always honors it. Often, our remaining tasks are easier, or seem so, because we know we are following the Lord.
The Bible says, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Being busy is not always a bad thing. When God is in it, our productivity can be a blessing to Him, ourselves and others.
Lord, thank You for the many responsibilities that are in my life. I know that I cannot handle them well or with a song in my heart unless I first go to You for wisdom, strength and the joy that Your Spirit brings. May the tasks I do today be done in Your power and according to Your will. Warn me when I am tempted to step outside of what You want for me. May I not neglect Your clear commands or try to do anything without Your help. Do not allow me to add more to my schedule than You want for me. Instead, help me to do my God-given tasks in such a way that You are pleased and honored. Amen.
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Friday, February 10, 2017
Time: wasting it or using it? .......... Parables 548
March 3, 1997 ?
In a lifetime, the average North American will spend six months sitting at stop lights, eight months opening junk mail, and five years waiting in line. We might be able to shorten the time on junk mail but what can we do to make the time we wait for other people seem more productive?
Before offering suggestions, maybe waiting is not as bad as we insists it is. Always hurrying can be unhealthy. Taking a breather, even in traffic, can keep some of us from losing our senses. In fact, the bigger problem could be impatience. Inner agitation at whatever puts us on hold is more destructive to mental and physical health than spending a few minutes paused at the mercy of machines, traffic lights or the slow clerk at the other end of the line.
However, life is short enough as it is without filling it with years of do-nothing, waiting-for-someone-else-to move minutes. Demands for increased productivity and for more attention to personal development make us impatient with delays. Instead of allowing those delays to fill us with anxiety or resentment, we can use them wisely.
Standard suggestions for sit-down waiting include writing thank-you notes, reading, planning with a notebook and calendar, and knitting or other crafts. Be sure to include the children if that is your situation. My daughter reads to her younger daughter in waiting rooms, while the older one does her homework.
Some people talk to friends or business associates on their cellular phone. Obviously that works for them, but for some reason, it makes me feel like my privacy is being invaded. Those who would rather keep their business and personal affairs private can dispense with a cell phone but use a laptop computer to write letters or outline a business proposal. More than one person has threatened to bill their doctor for the hours spent waiting; however, in our electronic age, we do not need to put work on hold while someone makes us wait.
Personally, I usually take a notebook with me and plan my shopping list, read and take notes for homework assignments, prepare short speeches, outline a Sunday School lesson or design quilt blocks. I also write in my journal, work through relationship snags and rehearse what I want to say to someone I may owe an apology or explanation.
The best idea is using waiting time to draw closer to God. The Psalms are filled with verses referring to waiting on Him but my favorite passage comes from Isaiah 40:29-31: “(God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Waiting on God is not the same as being stuck in a hospital waiting room or at the end of a long lineup for tickets. Instead, it is simply refusing to think (worry) about other things or focus on anything else but Him. It is approaching Him as a listener, waiting for His commands and His inner encouragement. It is eagerly standing or sitting still, watching for the signs that He is coming or doing something on our behalf. It is setting aside all the chores and cares of the moment to focus on Him, to hear His voice and be refreshed.
Waiting on God requires time. It takes time to learn how and time to perfect. It also takes time to just do it. If our schedules are already full and making an appointment with Him is difficult, then the best time might be while we are waiting and unable to do anything else.
In a lifetime, the average North American will spend six months sitting at stop lights, eight months opening junk mail, and five years waiting in line. We might be able to shorten the time on junk mail but what can we do to make the time we wait for other people seem more productive?
Before offering suggestions, maybe waiting is not as bad as we insists it is. Always hurrying can be unhealthy. Taking a breather, even in traffic, can keep some of us from losing our senses. In fact, the bigger problem could be impatience. Inner agitation at whatever puts us on hold is more destructive to mental and physical health than spending a few minutes paused at the mercy of machines, traffic lights or the slow clerk at the other end of the line.
However, life is short enough as it is without filling it with years of do-nothing, waiting-for-someone-else-to move minutes. Demands for increased productivity and for more attention to personal development make us impatient with delays. Instead of allowing those delays to fill us with anxiety or resentment, we can use them wisely.
Standard suggestions for sit-down waiting include writing thank-you notes, reading, planning with a notebook and calendar, and knitting or other crafts. Be sure to include the children if that is your situation. My daughter reads to her younger daughter in waiting rooms, while the older one does her homework.
Some people talk to friends or business associates on their cellular phone. Obviously that works for them, but for some reason, it makes me feel like my privacy is being invaded. Those who would rather keep their business and personal affairs private can dispense with a cell phone but use a laptop computer to write letters or outline a business proposal. More than one person has threatened to bill their doctor for the hours spent waiting; however, in our electronic age, we do not need to put work on hold while someone makes us wait.
Personally, I usually take a notebook with me and plan my shopping list, read and take notes for homework assignments, prepare short speeches, outline a Sunday School lesson or design quilt blocks. I also write in my journal, work through relationship snags and rehearse what I want to say to someone I may owe an apology or explanation.
The best idea is using waiting time to draw closer to God. The Psalms are filled with verses referring to waiting on Him but my favorite passage comes from Isaiah 40:29-31: “(God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Waiting on God is not the same as being stuck in a hospital waiting room or at the end of a long lineup for tickets. Instead, it is simply refusing to think (worry) about other things or focus on anything else but Him. It is approaching Him as a listener, waiting for His commands and His inner encouragement. It is eagerly standing or sitting still, watching for the signs that He is coming or doing something on our behalf. It is setting aside all the chores and cares of the moment to focus on Him, to hear His voice and be refreshed.
Waiting on God requires time. It takes time to learn how and time to perfect. It also takes time to just do it. If our schedules are already full and making an appointment with Him is difficult, then the best time might be while we are waiting and unable to do anything else.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Christmas and Time-Management ............................ Parables 194
December 6, 1989
The last half of November translates into the first half of the Christmas rush. Busy, busy, busy. Concerts, shopping, parties and the other extras of Christmas accelerate our normal over-booked lifestyle, making this time of the year stuffed fuller than the anticipated turkey.
Some people have a calendar crammed with reminders. I’d spin out without my personal time management book. But whatever we use to keep track, active people struggle to juggle the invitations, obligations, responsibilities and appointments without burning out or turning grey before our time.
A friend of mine has a “Priority Jar.” It is filled to the brim with white rice and a few chestnuts. The basic disciplines of Christian living are represented by the chestnuts. All the other demands of life are represented by the rice. She says if she puts the few chestnuts in first, all the rice will fit in next. But if she puts the rice in first, there will always be some of the chestnuts that can’t be squeezed into the jar. For those who are skeptical, she is happy to give a demonstration.
That shakes loose a thought or two: Is it genuinely spiritual to say YES to all those demands (rice), running from dawn to dark, falling into bed totally exhausted every day? (Can you imagine Jesus wearing Nike’s as He races from one city to another?) Does God want us up to our eyeballs in agenda — even if everything on the list is good, noble and needed? Just because the Bible has plenty to say about laziness, does it advocate burnout as the alternative to rust-out?
The story of Martha and Mary comes to mind. They were sisters of Lazarus, a man Jesus raised from the dead. One day the Lord came to visit them. “... Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ Jesus answered, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’”
At first, it seems that Jesus was a bit harsh with Martha. After all, she was only trying to be a good hostess. Perhaps she had left Him (notice the word “also” indicating she had been seated) because supper was burning. On the other hand, she may have headed to the kitchen because this was JESUS visiting and she wanted to make a good impression. She certainly wanted to please Him. And note, Mary had been in the kitchen and left.
Whatever Martha's reasons, it appears Jesus didn’t send her to serve. Martha actually chose her busy situation herself. Then she became over-burdened because she magnified the importance of what she was doing out of proportion to her alternate choice. Think about it: being with Jesus Christ took second place to making lunch! Martha's priorities were wrong.
Mary picked the right thing to do for the occasion -- after all, Jesus didn’t drop by every day. What better opportunity to learn directly from the Wisdom of the Ages? She could prepare a couple of sandwiches later, but seldom could she sit and talk personally with the Son of God. She had her priorities straight.
Today, life presents so many choices. Saying NO to all demands may be one way to end the rat race but somehow I don’t think Jesus wants us to toss out all the rice. Instead, the story of Martha and Mary suggests putting the chestnuts in first. Jesus invites His people to set the calendar aside for a while and choose a quiet time with Him. He knows what else has to be done but without His calm guidance, we may choose fruitless frenzy -- sometimes whole heaping platters full. However, He promises that when we choose the good part, it will be ours forever. And like my friend and her jar, Jesus willingly gives demonstrations for the skeptical.
The last half of November translates into the first half of the Christmas rush. Busy, busy, busy. Concerts, shopping, parties and the other extras of Christmas accelerate our normal over-booked lifestyle, making this time of the year stuffed fuller than the anticipated turkey.
Some people have a calendar crammed with reminders. I’d spin out without my personal time management book. But whatever we use to keep track, active people struggle to juggle the invitations, obligations, responsibilities and appointments without burning out or turning grey before our time.
A friend of mine has a “Priority Jar.” It is filled to the brim with white rice and a few chestnuts. The basic disciplines of Christian living are represented by the chestnuts. All the other demands of life are represented by the rice. She says if she puts the few chestnuts in first, all the rice will fit in next. But if she puts the rice in first, there will always be some of the chestnuts that can’t be squeezed into the jar. For those who are skeptical, she is happy to give a demonstration.
That shakes loose a thought or two: Is it genuinely spiritual to say YES to all those demands (rice), running from dawn to dark, falling into bed totally exhausted every day? (Can you imagine Jesus wearing Nike’s as He races from one city to another?) Does God want us up to our eyeballs in agenda — even if everything on the list is good, noble and needed? Just because the Bible has plenty to say about laziness, does it advocate burnout as the alternative to rust-out?
The story of Martha and Mary comes to mind. They were sisters of Lazarus, a man Jesus raised from the dead. One day the Lord came to visit them. “... Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ Jesus answered, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’”
At first, it seems that Jesus was a bit harsh with Martha. After all, she was only trying to be a good hostess. Perhaps she had left Him (notice the word “also” indicating she had been seated) because supper was burning. On the other hand, she may have headed to the kitchen because this was JESUS visiting and she wanted to make a good impression. She certainly wanted to please Him. And note, Mary had been in the kitchen and left.
Whatever Martha's reasons, it appears Jesus didn’t send her to serve. Martha actually chose her busy situation herself. Then she became over-burdened because she magnified the importance of what she was doing out of proportion to her alternate choice. Think about it: being with Jesus Christ took second place to making lunch! Martha's priorities were wrong.
Mary picked the right thing to do for the occasion -- after all, Jesus didn’t drop by every day. What better opportunity to learn directly from the Wisdom of the Ages? She could prepare a couple of sandwiches later, but seldom could she sit and talk personally with the Son of God. She had her priorities straight.
Today, life presents so many choices. Saying NO to all demands may be one way to end the rat race but somehow I don’t think Jesus wants us to toss out all the rice. Instead, the story of Martha and Mary suggests putting the chestnuts in first. Jesus invites His people to set the calendar aside for a while and choose a quiet time with Him. He knows what else has to be done but without His calm guidance, we may choose fruitless frenzy -- sometimes whole heaping platters full. However, He promises that when we choose the good part, it will be ours forever. And like my friend and her jar, Jesus willingly gives demonstrations for the skeptical.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Too many things to do, too little time ............. Parables 139
“I’d like to, but I’m just too busy.”
“Where do you find the time to do so much?”
Life is like a smorgasbord: so many activities to pick from, many that look too good to pass up. My plate fills up so quickly, and time, like my tummy, has a way of getting stuffed before the plate is empty. It takes careful planning to finish my choices before the end of each day. Even with the best of scheduling, interruptions, health problems, and a host of other things can leave me with a pile of “leftovers.”
Sometimes I chide myself with the fact I have just as many hours as the President of the United States, and look at all he accomplishes. But my husband brings me back to earth with,”You have the same hours, dear, but not the same staff!”
Because we are made in the image of God, and because we function best when living like it, some of the best secrets of time management are found by looking at His use of time. Aside from the fact that He created and controls it, He also stepped into it, in the person of Jesus Christ. We have record of only three years of His life, yet in that three years, He made an impact on the world that no man has made before or since. I’m sure His use of time had something to do with it.
Before anyone protests, “but He is God . . .” He also was fully human, He became tired, thirsty and hungry, just as we do. Not only that, His days only had twenty-four hours - just the same as ours.
A GOOD START: Perhaps the greatest secret of His time-management was that Jesus”rose up before it was yet morning, to pray.” The older I get the less I enjoy the ringing of my alarm clock. However, Jesus knew that the strength received from His heavenly Father would outlast any benefits of extra time snoozing. Isaiah 40 says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” not”they that sleep as much as possible.”
NO PROCRASTINATION: The Gospel of Mark uses the word “immediately” over and over as it describes Christ in action. He was not a procrastinator. He never made excuses, stalled, or hesitated in uncertainty. He did not put off until tomorrow what could and should be done right now. Time management specialists confirm this principle. Number your priorities and then do them, one after the other.
TRUST THE FATHER WITH INTERRUPTIONS: Jesus also saw interruptions as heaven-sent and was not flustered by them. Instead, He responded as if they were on His list from the beginning. This is where I often falter. My tendency is to let the interruption ruin my attitude and even my day’s work. Realizing God sovereignly controls my life has helped me be more polite to door-to-door sales men and telephone survey-takers.
PURPOSEFUL R AND R: Jesus was not lazy but He did take time to rest.”Jesus, being wearied from His journey, sat by the well” (John 4). Laziness is resting because I don’t want to work. Recreation is resting because if I don’t rest I won’t have the energy to work. Taking time to be refueled is not necessarily selfish indulgence. Jesus even used His resting time to reach out to others.
JOB SELECTION: Jesus did not accept any task outside of His Father’s will. His early morning time alone was not wasted time. When He began His day, He knew where to go, what to do, and what was important for eternity. He kept His focus on the priorities laid down for Him.
What a waste to spend a day (or a whole life) on things that have no eternal value. But for those who belong to Christ, He makes every minute count. After all, unlike the vast assortment of choices there are to fill it, a minute of time leaves no leftovers. Used wisely or wasted, it is gone forever.
“Where do you find the time to do so much?”
Life is like a smorgasbord: so many activities to pick from, many that look too good to pass up. My plate fills up so quickly, and time, like my tummy, has a way of getting stuffed before the plate is empty. It takes careful planning to finish my choices before the end of each day. Even with the best of scheduling, interruptions, health problems, and a host of other things can leave me with a pile of “leftovers.”
Sometimes I chide myself with the fact I have just as many hours as the President of the United States, and look at all he accomplishes. But my husband brings me back to earth with,”You have the same hours, dear, but not the same staff!”
Because we are made in the image of God, and because we function best when living like it, some of the best secrets of time management are found by looking at His use of time. Aside from the fact that He created and controls it, He also stepped into it, in the person of Jesus Christ. We have record of only three years of His life, yet in that three years, He made an impact on the world that no man has made before or since. I’m sure His use of time had something to do with it.
Before anyone protests, “but He is God . . .” He also was fully human, He became tired, thirsty and hungry, just as we do. Not only that, His days only had twenty-four hours - just the same as ours.
A GOOD START: Perhaps the greatest secret of His time-management was that Jesus”rose up before it was yet morning, to pray.” The older I get the less I enjoy the ringing of my alarm clock. However, Jesus knew that the strength received from His heavenly Father would outlast any benefits of extra time snoozing. Isaiah 40 says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” not”they that sleep as much as possible.”
NO PROCRASTINATION: The Gospel of Mark uses the word “immediately” over and over as it describes Christ in action. He was not a procrastinator. He never made excuses, stalled, or hesitated in uncertainty. He did not put off until tomorrow what could and should be done right now. Time management specialists confirm this principle. Number your priorities and then do them, one after the other.
TRUST THE FATHER WITH INTERRUPTIONS: Jesus also saw interruptions as heaven-sent and was not flustered by them. Instead, He responded as if they were on His list from the beginning. This is where I often falter. My tendency is to let the interruption ruin my attitude and even my day’s work. Realizing God sovereignly controls my life has helped me be more polite to door-to-door sales men and telephone survey-takers.
PURPOSEFUL R AND R: Jesus was not lazy but He did take time to rest.”Jesus, being wearied from His journey, sat by the well” (John 4). Laziness is resting because I don’t want to work. Recreation is resting because if I don’t rest I won’t have the energy to work. Taking time to be refueled is not necessarily selfish indulgence. Jesus even used His resting time to reach out to others.
JOB SELECTION: Jesus did not accept any task outside of His Father’s will. His early morning time alone was not wasted time. When He began His day, He knew where to go, what to do, and what was important for eternity. He kept His focus on the priorities laid down for Him.
What a waste to spend a day (or a whole life) on things that have no eternal value. But for those who belong to Christ, He makes every minute count. After all, unlike the vast assortment of choices there are to fill it, a minute of time leaves no leftovers. Used wisely or wasted, it is gone forever.
Monday, March 31, 2014
My plan or God's? .................... Parables 099
“This week is going to be different. I am going to set some goals and get something done...”
And from that point on, the whole world seems to go haywire: interruptions, unexpected circumstances, pressures, choices; together they carve out a big chunk from well-laid plans and nothing happens according to what was hoped. What was your week like. Plodding along or never a dull moment? If it was like mine, you might wonder if planning has any value at all!
But the unexpected is not unusual -- it is part of life. We try to get a handle on management of it and sometimes do, but most of the time the unexpected is to be expected. Some thrive on it but many people do not like changes because, unless we can comfortably keep our heads stuck in the sand, change forces us to change.
One favorite verse concerning circumstances is Romans 8:28: “God works all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose...”
Those who know this promise cling to it when life turns upside-down yet the thoughtful reader should go on to the next verse which states just exactly what God has in mind when He says that He “works all things for good” in a Christian’s life. Verse 29 says “... for those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son...”
“All things” are purposed by God for change... change from what we are like to what He is like -- and that is very good! That makes change not merely vital to our Christian experience but it is our destiny. (See I John 3:1-3).
Once a great sculptor began work on a huge piece of marble, intending to carve a magnificent horse. When asked how he knew what to carve from the piece and what to leave, he said, “That’s easy. I just take off everything that doesn’t look like a horse.”
And that is just what God is doing in the lives of those who love Him -- carving away everything that is not like Jesus Christ... using, along with His Word, all events of life like a chisel to carve and conform us. he intends to remove chucks of selfishness, pride, and rebellion, breaking them away and leaving the pure beauty of the living Christ for all to see.
Why does it work? Simply because each trial, each pressure-situation, calls from us a response. Will it be the typical human one of resistance to change, resentment and bitterness? Or will it be in obedience to the One who lives within us and desires to make Himself visible in all we say and do? When I make plans and they are changed by circumstances outside of my control, it is not always easy to remember the purposes God has in “all things.” But when I think about this promise and cooperate with the Master sculptor, the pain of change changes to the excitement of a transformed life. His promise concerning what He will do if I yield to His sculpting tool becomes a far better plan than those of my own making.
It is not that prayerful planning and time-management are a waste; neither is taking time to attend to interruptions. What is wasteful is failing to yield to the hand of God, the Sovereign Sculptor of my destiny.
And from that point on, the whole world seems to go haywire: interruptions, unexpected circumstances, pressures, choices; together they carve out a big chunk from well-laid plans and nothing happens according to what was hoped. What was your week like. Plodding along or never a dull moment? If it was like mine, you might wonder if planning has any value at all!
But the unexpected is not unusual -- it is part of life. We try to get a handle on management of it and sometimes do, but most of the time the unexpected is to be expected. Some thrive on it but many people do not like changes because, unless we can comfortably keep our heads stuck in the sand, change forces us to change.
One favorite verse concerning circumstances is Romans 8:28: “God works all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose...”
Those who know this promise cling to it when life turns upside-down yet the thoughtful reader should go on to the next verse which states just exactly what God has in mind when He says that He “works all things for good” in a Christian’s life. Verse 29 says “... for those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son...”
“All things” are purposed by God for change... change from what we are like to what He is like -- and that is very good! That makes change not merely vital to our Christian experience but it is our destiny. (See I John 3:1-3).
Once a great sculptor began work on a huge piece of marble, intending to carve a magnificent horse. When asked how he knew what to carve from the piece and what to leave, he said, “That’s easy. I just take off everything that doesn’t look like a horse.”
And that is just what God is doing in the lives of those who love Him -- carving away everything that is not like Jesus Christ... using, along with His Word, all events of life like a chisel to carve and conform us. he intends to remove chucks of selfishness, pride, and rebellion, breaking them away and leaving the pure beauty of the living Christ for all to see.
Why does it work? Simply because each trial, each pressure-situation, calls from us a response. Will it be the typical human one of resistance to change, resentment and bitterness? Or will it be in obedience to the One who lives within us and desires to make Himself visible in all we say and do? When I make plans and they are changed by circumstances outside of my control, it is not always easy to remember the purposes God has in “all things.” But when I think about this promise and cooperate with the Master sculptor, the pain of change changes to the excitement of a transformed life. His promise concerning what He will do if I yield to His sculpting tool becomes a far better plan than those of my own making.
It is not that prayerful planning and time-management are a waste; neither is taking time to attend to interruptions. What is wasteful is failing to yield to the hand of God, the Sovereign Sculptor of my destiny.
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