Early yesterday I received an email asking me to reserve dates for later in the year. As I added them to my calendar, I realized these are not “far off” dates at all. They are “close by” dates.
The dates are for August, September, and October of 2018. Somehow in my mind I don’t that it’s May. In my mind the new year has just begun. Before we know it school will be out and the summer will move as quickly as the rest of the year.
What should we know about our time?
First, plan to do first things first.
Remember when technology was supposed to make us paperless and it would also give us so much time just for ourselves? What happened to that promise?
Most of us have more paper than ever before and our time is taken up with–you guessed it–technology.
I’ve written a number of posts on managing your time. This is one of the latest.
More than any other time, we now need to remember to do the first things first. While I love having a clean inbox, I love even more having given generously of my time to my family and others who need me.
Second, redeem the time. Paul told the churches of Ephesus and Colossae to redeem the time and to make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-16, Colossians 4:5)). He wasn’t writing about seconds and minutes; he thought of opportunities to please God and bless other people by taking advantage of every encounter.
Third, do your best to get rid of time wasters.
Our lives are filled with time wasting events and sometimes people. Time wasters can be most anything–robo calls, meetings that aren’t well planned, or your own activities that have no value to you. Some people get caught up in social media and miss those things that really matter. I know some people who set an alarm that will give them a “times up!” for spending time on social media.
Finally, do your best not to waste other people’s time. (Spending time with people is not wasted time!) If you are a church pastor, make sure your meetings begin and end on time and have significance in between. Plan the time you ask others to give and plan your own day to “make the most of every opportunity.”
I believe everything should be prayed over. Could you pray over your schedule? Could you ask God to help you to “make the most of every opportunity?”