You don't have to throw the clock to see time fly!

We are all aware that most of us are far too busy. Here it is Wednesday, January 13, 2010 already and I bet many of us are wondering how it got here so quickly. We need to stop and smell the roses; or the coffee; or the flowers; or the fairways; or the incense; or the turkey; or the mistletoe; or the dinner cooking; or the queso; or the sagebrush; or the salmon, and since these all came from a simple Google search I’m confident there are plenty more where they came from. These are all intended to get our attention away from the rat race that keeps us so busy that at times it causes a hamster on his little wheel to feel embarrassed. We may not know where we are going or why, but we can always be assured that we are hurrying to get there. Clock management has taken us captive and we are no longer doing the managing, the clock is! There are times when we do need to hurry but hurrying as a habit is not only frustrating, it can impact our health.

Think about those occasions that end up being a memory tagged with ‘time well spent’. Maybe it’s some quiet time alone or a special one on one with one of the children. It could be time spent in Bible study, prayer, or in pursuing God’s calling. How about it being an unexpected event where the power was off and everyone visited or maybe some special connection where a friend or loved one was able to enjoy fellowship. Someone said it sure would help if we all could learn to distinguish between the meaningful and the meaningless. It again reminds me of that account from the Scriptures where the two sisters Mary and Martha were hosting a dinner for Jesus. Martha was totally immersed in the cooking and preparation even to the point of being overwrought. In contrast, Mary found herself sitting and listening to the teachings of Jesus. Martha complained to Jesus and asked Him to tell Mary to get up and help her. Jesus lovingly told Martha that while she had worried herself sick, Mary had chosen the more meaningful and it would not be taken from her. (See Luke Chapter 10, Verses 38-41) Now there’s some food for thought for us all!

I can almost hear a collective sigh as we all wish we could get off the treadmill and catch our breath, at least occasionally. It will not happen by wishing. We have to recognize the need and then begin to work to find those times of refreshment and restoration. Yeah, life is short, way too short, to finish it all up without having enjoyed the blessings God has provided to us. I’m not saying we should trade one set of breathless activities for another different set of breathless activities that end up doing the same thing to us. The idea is to make better choices about our priorities so that we concentrate on maximizing the use of our time as best we can on the things that really do count for time and eternity. We all are busy and for the most part, we are busy all the time. However, with God’s help we can begin to take advantage of the time He gives to us. Take it from me, you will never be able to go back and recover that time which is lost. Think about it! Amen. ….More later.