Making Time for Life

We often get wrapped up in the daily chores of life and do not give time for the priorities. But what are the priorities? When you read this question was the first thing that came to mind work? In todays society we often have our priorities messed up. Most people will rank priorities in their life as; 1) Job, 2) Family, 3)Friends. Not so long ago I might even have ranked something like; 1) Job, 2) Money, 3) Family.

We all know we want more...we want to help we want to have deeper relationships with those around us, family, friends, and co-workers. But we just don't have the time. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME?

Percentage of households that possess at least one television: 99%
Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24
Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66%
Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47 minutes
Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66%
Percentage of Americans who say they watch too much TV: 49%

I'll ask again...WE DON'T HAVE TIME?
Seems to me we have about 6 hours, 47 minutes we could gain!

We MAKE ourselves busy with cellphones, email, television, and the internet. We make ourselves so busy we don't consider the things that are most important to us. We need to re-think our priority list...Life is way too short. Our priorities should look more like this...

1) God
Putting God back as your number one priority in life will reset and re-balance your priorities.

2) Family
By putting God back in your life he will help you find time for those relationships you are missing. If your married, when was the last time you spent time just talking to your spouse? Taking the time to listen to God will teach you how to take time to listen to your family and reconnect with those things that are important.

3) Friends
When was the last time you spent time with your friends? I am betting that with work schedules and pressures the way they are that the closest you get to your friends is a cellphone call on a drive with your spouse in the car when you should be talking to your spouse.

LIFE IS SHORT
"The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow for they quickly pass and we fly away." (Psalm 90:10)
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Work is a gift from God...But don't let work become your God
"So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecc 2:17)

Have you made work your God? Or are you working for God?

"But I must schedule" OK, schedule your play first...then work. Let me be very clear here though, make God your first priority! Plan your vacation, and TAKE your vacation, plan time with your family first then worry about scheduling your work. Life is not about the successes at work or the victories, it is about the relationships we make. If your a NASCAR fan you can appreciate this analogy; Last night, Dale Earnhart Jr. was trying to make it into the chase, he ran his car full out for the whole race giving it 110 percent the whole time. So what happened? His engine blew up in the last ten laps. We work 110 percent running all out everyday what do you think will happen to us? We WILL come up short of the finish line. "There is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven." (Ecc 3:1)

So what do I do? How do I start?

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)
Stop and listen...not just for a few minutes and then give up. But stop and listen everyday! God is talking...you just don't hear him through the noise in your life. Through the endless thoughts of "what do I need to do next?"

STOP

Clear your mind, take a deep, deep breath, hold it, hold it, exhale and let the noise leave your mind.

Pray, Nothing long...just a prayer to him to help clear your mind and focus on his word.

Read, open the bible and read a verse, or a chapter, or even a whole book but read the scripture with a clear mind and focus on the scripture.

Reflect, take time to reflect on what you have read and what god is telling you. You will hear him, after all, that is why it is called the living word.

This takes practice, believe me I am by no means perfect at this method but it does work when you let it. Reflection and hearing God comes in several ways. Some like to truly think about what they have read and then try to put it into action others like myself listen and then journal about what they have read. (Some of us even share their reflections with others hence this blog) I am not good at trying to do this in the morning so I find that in the late evening after everyone has settled in for the night I can calm my mind and take the time to read and reflect. I also find that I can sit at lunch and read as well but more often than not my lunch hour turns into a bible study with other co-workers. (Which is not a bad thing, just not a quite time for hearing God speak to me) I have also found that a devotional book is helpful to focus my thoughts, and it keeps me in mental shape for reading the scripture.