Where Does The Time Go?
By Kim McCreery
“I would love to help, but I don’t have the time.” As one of the overseers for our church’s Sunday School program, this is the response I frequently receive when I ask a mom or dad if they want to help in a classroom during one of our two services Sunday morning. Rushed and hurried, they avoid looking me in the eye. Secretly they are thinking if I knew how busy they were, I wouldn’t even be asking.
I used to be like these moms and dads – much too busy with the “important” things in life to serve in His ministry. I couldn’t accomplish all the things that “needed” to get done each week – how could I do more? Then one day as I was driving to my office in Casa Grande, flipping through the radio channels, I fell upon a message being given by Pastor James MacDonald on the Biblical view of time management. (Our God is an amazing God! So like Him to take me where I needed to go without my even knowing what I needed!)
As I listened, I expected to learn new tips and tricks, maybe discover a new app or planner that would revolutionize my time management skills. What I did not expect to learn was that the management of my time was not the issue – the problem was where my heart was, where my priorities were. I came face to face with the realization that I was trying to stuff in all the things “I” wanted to do each week. I never asked God what “He” wanted me to be doing.
The message centered on one key verse:
Psalm 90:21 “So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Every time I read that verse it gives me chills. There is so much contained in so few words. God spoke to me through that message and helped me to understand that He needed all of me – including my time. So with great fear and trepidation I chose to humble myself before my Lord, surrendering how my time was spent and what I made my life’s priorities. And the top of that priority list needed to be Him; no ifs, ands, or buts. He needed me to spend my time following His will for my life, wherever that would lead.
The first few weeks I felt awkward and anxious. I wasn’t used to spending so much time in prayer simply asking where I should spend my time! What network meetings I should attend, where my focus within the company should be, what He wanted me involved with. But if there is one thing I know about my Lord, it is that He always keeps His promises.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in all things, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:6-7
He has been faithful, guiding my steps and helping me to re-prioritize my life. I don’t know how I fit so much more into my days now. I won’t say things are perfect, because nothing in our fallen world is. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and wonder how I will get everything done. But it is at these times I take it back to the cross and ask Him for strength and guidance. And, as I said, He always keeps His promises.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Kim McCreery is the owner of At Home Solutions, a company that provides caregiving services to seniors within the comfort of home. At Home Solutions has five office locations providing services in the southeast valley, as well as in Pinal and Gila counties. For more information, please visit their website, www.athomesol.com.
Inspiration
Coffee and Friendship
By Jennifer King
Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. Matthew 18:20
Today, I have the privilege of writing at a local bakery/café. Across the way, I see a group of women meeting for Bible study over lunch. What a blessing such times can be! Women need female friends, yet in today’s world of cell phones and e-mail, our opportunities for contact are often limited by the impersonal convenience of electronic communication.
In past generations, women depended on each other for survival. They washed clothes, quilted, tended children, and cooked over the fire together. With modern technology, our days are more efficient, and we are more independent and self-reliant.
Our lives are strengthened as they are sustained and held accountable within our friendships. Jesus says that where two or more are gathered in his name, there He is also. What a powerful reality—that when we are together in like-minded harmony Jesus is present as well.
Invest in your friendships. Make time for gathering at church, in groups, and over coffee. Such occasions bring a satisfying richness to life.
Support your friends.
Finances
Lots of folks are more than a little nervous about their finances these days. It seems like just yesterday, life for some of us seemed easier. When times are tough, remember that Jesus is with us. That God is walking with us and holding us up. The Bible states, “He will never leave us or forsake us“. Don’t forget that!
