Have you ever heard someone say "I wish I had the time to do the things I really want to do". I have heard it and I have said it to. Does it seem as though the life you want is just out of reach because of the multitude of commitments you have on your day? Have you wanted more time, but failed to see where you could get it? You think "Maybe if I had better time management skills, that would be the answer."
I recently heard someone say that "time management" is a myth.
He said that you cannot manage time, it ticks away, second after second and there isn't anything you can do about it. The only thing you can manage is yourself.
In our human experience, time, such as we understand it, is a limited commodity. I am 53 years old as I write this. If I keep on living healthy and avoid doing anything risky, I will live to about my mid-eighties. Let's say 85. That means I have 32 years left. It sounds like a lot of time, right? But think about it like this. It means I have 32 summers left. I have 32 Christmas left. I have 32 Anniversaries. It puts a little more perspective on how we can best use our time, doesn't it? If I have 32 summers left, I want to be slim and trim for all of them! So, at all of my remaining Thanksgivings, I will say "No more pie for me thanks! Summer's coming!"
There is an interesting scripture in the New Testament. It's Ephesians 5:16. It says we should "redeem the time because the days are evil"
That verse and the ones around it talk about being careful about how we live because the time is short and we don't want to be careless about it. You get the sense that the Apostle Paul is encouraging us to live on purpose, and not to let this life slip away from us. It's an important message especially today when so many things that seem really important want to take our time and attention. It becomes quality over quantity.
For me, I can be distracted very easily by the internet. Before you know what's happening, you've spent an hour catching up with the cast of H.R Puffenstuff and you forgot that you went online to check the time of a movie you want to take your wife to. It's so easy! In a flash, all the productivity that could have happened in that time is gone. Any creativity you had will have dried up! You can't get that time back, ever.
Living on purpose means, making the most of your time. Not doing more necessarily, but making the time you have meaningful and productive. If you are with people, give them your attention, your eye-contact! If you are going to do any exercise, do it with energy! If you are going on the internet, make it a worthwhile time! Contribute something instead of just creeping on other people's Facebook to see what they're up to! You have done it! I know!
Here's a bit of wisdom that may help you. Break big goals into small chunks. If we use the example of fitness, you may want to transform your body by doing some kind of activity. It does not happen in one day, so don't feel the pressure to climb the whole mountain in one workout! A little bit each day is all you need. Your time is limited so, set a small goal and hit it every day. Walk a block, stretch, ride a bike, whatever. Over time, those small deposits will add up and compound. Climb a bit of the mountain and then rest and take in the view. Redeem the time!
Jesus had a three-year ministry plan. It seems that it was to have 12 disciples, travel to a certain amount of towns, and spread the message where he could. This plan was relatively short compared to other stories in the bible.
Some of God's plans for his people seem to be contained in a span of hundreds of years. That's hard for us to grasp. We want results NOW!
I think that once we pass beyond the threshold of death and come into another reality of being, time will not have the same meaning for us as it does now. But while we are here on this wonderful planet with these amazing people we call fellow humans, let's make the most of it. Let's redeem the time!
