Leap Year and the Gift of Time

Whenever leap year pops up, I feel like I'm cheating, like I've gotten an extra day to tackle all those undone things. But it's just an illusion. Today is a day like any other--a gift from God for which I will have to give an account.

I've been thinking a lot about time lately. Days seem to fly by faster than when I was a child. I once read that if your day flies by, that means you are absorbed in what you are doing and you are happy. So I guess that's a good thing. But as I've studied this topic from an eternal perspective, here's a short list of some of the things I've been mulling over as I ponder "time management" as a Christian:

• There's only one person who will ever complete His "To Do" list and He already did it: "When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:30).
• Therefore, my ambitions about productivity have to be reshaped by the idea that I'm simply a steward. I am responsible for investing and multiplying what I receive from the Lord because I will give an account to Him one day for my activities. What isn't from Him is a waste of time. 
• Discerning the difference betweening stewarding what God has put on my To Do list and what I put on there for other reasons is very hard. I have to recalibrate on a regular basis by praying over my priorities and activities. 
• As someone who is chronically on deadline, I still must find a way to live with margin in my life. By this, I mean the flexibility in my schedule for God to interrupt me with His ministry needs. Those things usually arrive in the form of someone needing my help or attention. If close friends and family don't think they have access to me or can interrupt me, then I know I have things on my To Do list that shouldn't be there. Jesus had a very important schedule, but He was available to minister others as He saw His Father at work.
• Productivity is not the same as fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is the eternal measurement--the multiplication of the work the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us. Productivity is task-oriented but those tasks aren't necessarily fruitful when measured through eternal impact. I find I can get a lot done, but nothing that will be meaningful even next year much less in light of eternity. We will always have tasks like these to do, but are they crowding out what's important?
• The tyranny of the urgent is even more of a harsh taskmaster in a constantly wired world. I first read Charles Hummel's booklet called The Tyranny of the Urgent as the Internet was poised to take off. Now I can appreciate even more why it is critical to schedule the important priorities before responding to the crush of urgencies and social media connections.

I hope these brief thoughts serve you today, as well. Happy February 29th!

 

Comments

[Stephanie]

Thank you very much for these thoughts. I have been struggling with balance and my never ending to do list. I need to print this out and hold it over my eyes every day until I "get" it. My discernment of what God wants and the next person begging for my time has been so very hard.

[Manning Lee]

Excellent Point about two things:

First, I love the fact that you stated the obvious about our To Do Lists. Jesus has already finished his list. That is both humbling and encouraging.

Second, I love the difference between fruitful and productive. I had not considered that before.

Thanks!

[julie Momyer]

Great points! Priorities sometimes suffer in the crush of everyday life, but they are called priorities for a reason. We just need to remind ourselves daily what those priorities are. :)