Inspired by . . . time

Inspired by . . . focus Inspired by . . . Friday Finds

Inspired by . . . time

The hands of time tick on,

like spokes on a wheel,

moving our souls forward into eternity.

Textured with Bonnie's Graphique texture

We don't have any control over time. The passing of minutes, hours, days, years. But we do have control over what we DO during this mysterious "when" that we call time.

What I do with my time is one thing I want to be more intentional about in 2014.

With all of the advice out there about time management, you would think we would have this one aced. While some people do better than others, I think we all struggle with managing our time to one degree or another.

I'm not an expert, but I think the reason for that is because time management is ultimately a personal issue. Our lives can go from simple to complicated and back again -sometimes all within 24 hours!. What worked last year, or last month, may not work this year, or this month.

The Psalmist prays, "[Lord] Teach us to number each of our days so that we may grow in wisdom."

To number our days - to be aware of the passage of time, allows us to grow in wisdom. This is a wisdom that only the Lord can give, and it's specific to each one of us.

Let's face it, we are never going to have enough time to do everything we want to do, or think we should do. But I believe that God gives us enough time to accomplish His will for our lives.

All those tips out there on how to manage your time more effectively have their place. But if we can begin by knowing what we should be doing in the first place the need for self time management will be greatly reduced.

So how do we know God's will for our time?

The same way we know anything about God: by staying connected to Him. We stay connected through prayer, the reading & study of His word, and worship. This seems so simple and yet so many of us just don't do it. I think I'm too busy to carve out time for God, but the truth is: I'm too busy NOT to!

This is where some of those time management tips can help:

Say no.

Put yourself {i.e. your relationship with God} first.

This is another thing I want to be more intentional about in 2014: Spending more time with God.

I know from experience that spending time with Him results in a better life for me. I'm convinced that until I can be more intentional about time spent with God, I won't have the wisdom I need to effectively manage my time.

I know what I need to do – now I just need to {sincerely} ask God to give me the discipline I need to do it!

Blessings,