“There’s an opportune time to do things,
a right time for everything on the earth.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 MSG
Time Flies
“Time” has a funny way of galloping ahead or dragging on…and all in the same day!
Musical artists for decades have attempted to capture the passing of time through musical lyrics. The Rolling Stones released, “Time Is On My Side” in 1964. Then in ‘74 they released “Time Waits For No One.”
Perspectives change, don’t they? There’s simply no debate, when we try to “hold back time,” it simply slips away.
Michael Altshuler rightly states, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is, you’re the pilot.”
Intentionality is Key
One of the first things we learned in MD5 is to be intentional with our actions and our inaction.
By that, I mean we don’t need to have all of our time allotted for. We need to be intentional to create margin in our lives.
Intentionality can craft fewer moments of:
If I just had the time…
Man, I wanted to make that happen…
I woulda, shoulda, coulda …if only ______________.
If you are not a fourth quarter man, you likely have a lot of plates spinning.
To include: (maybe) wife, kids, work, church, hobbies, and friends.
For those in the fourth quarter of life, time tends to speed up, as maybe other parts of us slow down.
For all of us “margin” must be something we prioritize, and protect. Life to the fullest is principle-driven, not circumstance-stealing. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a passage in His Word where Jesus was rushing, striving, or straining to get something done.
We should not act as orphans pleading to be fed amid our busy choices of lifestyles. We are children of the King. We are invited to gather and lean in, not multi-task, check a screen, or be distracted.
A Prayer Suggestion
Ask God to order your days, your desires, and your dreams.
Prayer is the perfect first step to start your day. It centers our thoughts on Him. It is in those sacred moments that clarity comes into focus.
Guard your time, which is truly one of your biggest assets. Examine if you are seeking the temporal or the eternal. A slow drift is all that is required to take you far from His destination for you. We should shorten our self-made “to do” list.
Choose Margin
You see, “busy” can park you in the spiritual weeds. It’s what we are captivated in being and doing that makes it spiritually significant or not.
Leo Christopher pens, “There’s only one thing more precious than our time, and that’s who we spend it with.”
Choose margin. Our margin should be spent with the Lord and with our family. Choose godly principles of time and energy management, no matter what quarter guy you are. It will always be time well spent.
Mark Stitch
MD5 Facilitator