Life is busy. Too busy!
When I was young there was a lot of talk about advances in technology and the invention of new products making life easier, thus creating more free time. It seems the opposite has happened. Progress has increased how much we do or are expected to do, leaving less time for relaxation and just being with one another, let alone time to enjoy the presence of God.
I remember the father of a high school friend who sat in his living room Sunday afternoons reading the Bible. It was his weekly ritual. Today most of us are so tired from the week that just ended, on Sunday afternoon we take a nap to catch up on lost sleep – that is, if we don’t have something else to do that particular Sunday afternoon.
What are we to do? I suggest we take a clue from God.
God created the world with cycles – winter, spring, summer, and fall. He created the week to have a Sabbath. He created the 24 hour day to be divided into night and day. He created the annual calendar to have days of celebration and holiday.
What can we learn from how God created the world?
We can learn to build into our schedule time for what really matters. We can build godly routines into our day, week, month, and year. Doing so requires:
- The use of a calendar
- Planning and prioritizing
- Saying “no” so you can say “yes”
- Knowing what matters most and putting those things on your calendar / in your schedule FIRST
- Doing away with excuses and casting blame
- Not putting God’s stuff on the calendar last
- Not letting children’s activities get out of control and completely dominate the family’s calendar
- Action – start, do something, try something, make a change, buy a calendar, talk to your family
- Listening to God – which means you have to make time to hear His voice
Routines will change in the different seasons of life. Some seasons are easier than others. But time for what matters most will never be available in ANY SEASON OF LIFE unless we create the space in our life for it NOW. Waiting until things improve is folly. The wise person deals wisely with today – because today is all he or she is promised on this earth.
Pastor Steve Hogg
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