Food For Thought: Thoughts On Time Management

Time...it's the one thing I never seem to have enough of! As much as we tend to say things like, "the time is just crawling by" or "today went by so fast", the 24 hours we receive each day stays the same. Of course, sometimes it may seem to go slower or faster, due to surrounding circumstances, but every day, we are given the same amount of time to work with: we get 24 hours. What we do with that time is up to us.

Time is a gift - it really is! Actually, our whole lives are. But as far as each day, the time God gives us (24 hours!) is a great gift, and something we should definitely be grateful for! However, we need to be very careful to make sure that we don't misuse this gift. It is very easy to waste the minutes that are given to us. Watch the clock for a moment - sixty seconds tick by, and then that minute is gone, never to be had again. It is interesting that for as many clocks and watches as we have around, we don't always consider that our time is slowly fading away, the minutes are passing. The hours we are calling "future" right now will soon be here and called "past." My great Grandma wrote a poem on this subject entitled, "When Did My Tomorrows Become My Yesterdays?" That's an interesting thought. Time ticks by wheither we like it to or not. And it ticks by so fast!

So how can we be sure that we are using the time we have the way God wants us to? I mean, how can we know we are making the best use of every second, minute, and hour that goes by? This can be hard to figure out, but I think the main thing to remember is the question, "Is what I am doing bringing glory and honor to God?" Ask yourself this question often. If you're making an apple pie or a pan of brownies as a special treat for your family, this is a good use of time: you are fulfilling your role as a homemaker and a helper to your mother. Below are some more general tips to consider when deciding how to best use your time!

~Never let a moment pass by without doing something meaningful. (Remember the old saying, "idle hands are the devil's workshop!")

~The time is always right to do what is right." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

~If you find you don't have enough time for a certain project, try setting aside even 10 or 20 minutes a day to work on it. You might not make much progress the first few days, but after a few weeks, your diligent work for a few minutes a day will pay off! Most everyone has at least 10 - 20 minutes of time to spare each day - try it! I sometime bring my handwork to the dinner table to work on after we have eaten and are having family discussions. Try working on your project in the car, if you don't get carsick!

~Remember "For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned." (I love this one - a messy room never pays!)

~Try getting up earlier in the morning. Rising at an early hour is a good way to get in quiet activities, like personal Bible reading or prayer.

~Ask God to help you organize your day. He is giving you each minute, and certainly wants you to use it wisely! "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." ~Psalm 90:12

I hope these tips are helpful! As one author put it, "My finger points back at me as I write." I hardly feel qualified to write this, as I certainly have my own struggles in using my time wisely! But I hope that you have been encouraged by these tips. Have a blessed day, and make every minute count for Him!