Time

It occurred to me that the people who have the least amount of free time are probably the ones who spend the most time worrying about it.

 I know that since adding a third child to our family, my time seems to be disappearing a lot quicker than it ever did before.  I spend much of my time holding and feeding Anna Beth, and when I have those rare moments when she’s asleep, I have to make the absolute most of that time, whether it be eating a meal, showering, doing laundry, or spending time with Emma and Luke.

I feel my time comes at a premium right now.  If I don’t make smart use of my fleeting moments without a baby in my arms, I find myself frustrated (and hungry and unshowered, etc.) because I didn’t get anything done.

We all get the same 24 hours every day.  What we do with those hours is what determines our productiveness, our closeness in relationships, and other outcomes.  What we choose to spend our time being focused on defines to the world what we place our importance on.  Anyone looking at my life right now can see that my priority is taking care of my children.  Anyone looking at my house can see that it is not a priority to me at the moment!  (The piles of laundry and the furry Tupperware in the back of the fridge are a testament to this fact!)

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon tells us that “ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  I know there are days where I don’t think there is a time for everything, and sometimes the most important thing I should be doing—praising the God who gave me this day—gets pushed to the bottom of my “to-do list.”

If you were to analyze how you spend your 24 allotted hours, what would your clear priorities be?  Would it be work, sleep, family, or time spent studying/praising/talking to God?  Take the time to be introspective.  You might be surprised.