God wants us to use our life to the fullest capacity and to make sure we invest our time in what and who is most important. It's good practice to routinely ask ourselves the question, "how much of what I'm spending my time and energy on is going to count in five or ten years from now?"
It having an attitude that we view our time through eternity and what really counts in the big scheme of things, and we'll soon discover what we are spending our time on if we look at our calendars and schedules.
To help make your time count more it helps to:
1. Spend time with Jesus - read God's word to gain wisdom, and keep focused on your assignment in life.
2. Keep a diary – it keeps you on track and assists you in knowing who and what is taking up your attention and time. Like money, if we don't budget our time, we can easily waste it.
3. Have a plan and focus for your time - Understand what you need to do to intentionally give your best and grow in your different roles and activities. Set some goals and deadlines to keep you moving forward. It's too easy to "fritter" away our time because we haven't set specific, measurable goals. We fall into the "I'll get around to it trap".
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise." (Ephesians 5:15)
4. Take regular time out – make time to relax, recharge and refocus. God is serious about the need for us to all have a day of rest. He knows we need it to prosper and re-energise our minds, bodies, souls and spirits. When we refuse to take time out, we are on a path to "burnout".
"And Jesus said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat". (Mark 6:31)
5. Be open – allow God to speak into your life and for Him to use others to encourage and inspire you. Learn from others who know more than you or have been given revelation on living wisely and with faith.
My husband Philip and I regularly listen to and read teaching and revelation on those areas we want to step into and develop in our lives. We find encouragement from others who know God and His word. It helps us keep focused on our assignments and increases our productivity, faith, and overall joy and happiness.
6. Invest some of your time into the lives of others - An overreaction to the busyness of life can cause us to become selfish and greedy with our time. This can lead to a misuse of our time and prevent us from loving and being loved the way Jesus intended.
7. Don't live too much in the future – keep a balance. When we only live focused on tomorrow, we lose today. Time slips away as we live too much in the future; next month, our next vacation, or a different job. Use the time right in front of you to better spend time with your family, your partner, with Jesus, and on being the person, you were created to be.
When we become better at making our time count; at numbering our days, we begin to focus on what and who matters in life, which increases our capacity, and ability to live a meaningful, loving and purposeful life.
"We are fools if we do not live our lives as fully, bravely and beautifully as we can." (Buechner)
We count our days and manage our time wisely so that, in the end, we can honestly say our days counted.
Prayer: Lord, I want my time to count. Would you show me what my assignment is from you and how you want me to live that out today. Help me live my life fully, bravely, and as beautifully as you planned and created me. In Jesus name Amen
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