“Time in itself is really not the problem, but people who use it are. People who excuse their failures by saying, “I don’t have time” really are admitting to mismanagement of time… How often we hear, “I wish I knew how to manage my time better.”. Rarely do we hear, “I wish I new how to manage myself better.”, but that’s really what it comes down to.”
“Time, time, time, is on my side, yes it is.”
This is the time of year, when hope springs eternal. With 365 days (minus about 25 now), we can accomplish almost anything. But in the chaos of the tyranny of the urgent, even the best laid plans we’ve made begin to fade. Like sets of endless waves crashing on the beach, the day to day issues we face in our lives and enterprise, can begin to wear us down.
Have you already abandoned the resolutions that you set so earnestly just days ago?
Sunday was my daughter’s 9th birthday. She wanted to have another family from our house church over to share a breakfast birthday. Her preferred menu was donuts, kolaches, orange juice, and chocolate milk. As I waited for my box of kolaches, I asked the proprietor about how his business was doing. He said that this was his sixth year and that he’s learned that January will always be a bad month for him and a good month for fitness centers. He said that business really starts picking back up in February and remains steady throughout the year.
I think we referred to that as a “substitute good” in my economic classes. When the demand for one thing goes down, the demand for another goes up. Kolaches and gym memberships are clearly replacement goods.
Last week, we were meeting with a bunch of executives at a board meeting. Although well into January, we were reminding one another of 2016 goals set in our professional, personal, and spiritual domains… laying the foundation for group accountability and visibility to make sure all are accomplished. Of course, as you might imagine, we were all wrestling with the time to get everything done. Brother Engstom’s quote from above was a cold bucket of water on all our heads (or maybe a kick in the you-know-whats).
The currency of the Kingdom is abundance. We have precisely the right amount of time to accomplish everything the Father intends. Jesus changed the course of humanity and practically accomplished miraculous things as He walked through His brief life here on earth, but He always had time to do everything the Father intended Him to do. The rhythm of His life was simple: go spend time with the Father, learn what He wanted Him to do, and go do it.
Tozer says this about time:
“How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none. Eternal years lie in his heart. For time does not pass, it remains, and those who are in Christ, share with Him all the riches of limitless time and endless years. God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves. For those out of Christ, time is a devouring beast.”
Maybe the antidote for our busyness is not to be more efficient in order to get more done, but to get more still and more quiet, in order to understand more what He would have us do.
Have you already thrown in the towel on what you hoped to accomplish this year?
How do you feel about the rhythm and pace of your life?
When is the last time you “went away” to be with the Father?