Time is our most precious resource, far more valuable than
money. You can always get more money, but you can’t get more
time.
Time is our most precious resource, far more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you can’t get more time.
You can’t save it, borrow it or buy it. You can only use it, and what you don’t use, you lose. Yet many of us are like the cartoon character, Calvin, who once told his buddy, Hobbes, “God put me on earth to accomplish certain things. Right now, I’m so far behind, I’ll never die.”
Do you need to learn to manage your time more effectively? The key is to set goals, then arrange your time in a way that will allow you to accomplish them.
As Proverbs 17:24 notes, “An intelligent person aims at wise actions, but a fool starts off in many directions” (Proverbs 17:24). You need to have a game plan for your life.
First make a list of all the activities you have to do, then put them in categories (things that relate to each other). Then rate them in order of importance. Until you prioritize your list, you will be controlled by that which is urgent rather than that which is important.
Too many people organize their lives around the urgent and are so busy swatting mosquitoes they don’t have time to drain the swamp. We become like poor photographs: overexposed and underdeveloped. Strive for balance.
After prioritizing your activities, design your schedule to fit your goals. Schedule your time in a way that will enable you to do the important things in your life.
Why do many Christians neglect daily Bible reading and prayer? Why do many husbands and wives have no time to develop their relationship?
Why do many parents spend little time with their kids? The answer is simple: they are too busy! You have to make time for these important activities.
And since we tend to give priority to scheduled events over nonscheduled events, schedule them! Put them in your Daytimer or on your calendar to remind yourself.
It’s not enough to just say something is important, because the truth of the matter is that we always make time to do the things that really matter to us. If things like growing spiritually and spending time with your family and serving God are important to you, you will make time for them.
I’m convinced that Satan’s most effective strategy for Christians is just to keep us busy doing less important things. Someone once wisely noted, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.”
His goal is to fill your life up with a lot of busyness so you don’t have time to do what’s truly important. Many of us have given Psalm 23 a new twist:
“The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest. It makes me lie down only when exhausted. It leads me to deep depression. It hounds my soul. It leads me in circles of frenzy for activities’ sake. Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done, for my ideal is with me. Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me. They demand performance from me beyond the limits of my schedule. They anoint my head with migraines. My in-basket overflows. Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.”
Sound familiar? Jesus offers you an alternative: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28).
Henry Harris is lead pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, 330 Tres Pinos Rd. in Hollister. If you have questions or comments, please visit the church Web site at www.rollinghillsfamily.com, e-mail pa*********@****************ly.com or phone (831) 636-5353.
