Squeezing Time

Last week’s sermon was a very powerful talk entitled “What if we all had the time?”  This is a big issue for people today, whether you’re a Christian or not.  How do I make more time?  How do I get the most out of my time?

Two principles stood out to me from this sermon because they look at this issue of time in a slightly different way than most people are trained to.

*THINK RHYTHM, NOT JUST BALANCE

“I need to find a balance.  Once I do that, everything will fall into place.”  Yeah, I’ve said it too.  If I can just balance everything I’m juggling, I’ll get everything done.  But if you stop to think about what that looks like, you’ll end up with this.

And you know what happens when you drop the ball in one thing?  The entire structure comes crashing down.  Think about it this way.  You find a way to balance all your responsibilities, all the things you want to do, but that balance is actually carrying the weight of those things all the time.  Your strength is going to give out eventually.

This is where rhythm comes in.  Rhythm means allowing time to set things down.  Alternate the weight.  My bulletin’s fill-in-the-blanks say “Divert Daily,” “Retreat Weekly,” and “Abandon Yearly.”  Take time daily to rest or play.  They say if you work with your hands, to rest with your mind, and if you work with your mind, to rest with your hands.  I work with my mind all day, whether it’s writing or interpreting, so my play should involve something kinesthetic, maybe like doing a jigsaw puzzle or some exercise, like dance.

Now even though the Sabbath is a tradition set in place by God, Christians today have a hard time following it.  No work at all for one day?  Crazy.  Impossible.  Well it doesn’t have to be a whole day; it doesn’t even have to be a Saturday.  But our emotional and mental health depends on us taking time to rest.  Stay in bed for two hours on the weekend, reading.  Take a media fast one day a week.  (Most of you probably cringed at that one.)

*THINK ENERGY MANAGEMENT, NOT JUST TIME MANAGEMENT

Hello, big one right here.  I always think in terms of time management.  If I manage my time, I can fit everything in.  But at the end of the day, I’m exhausted.  Did I accomplish my to-do list?  Maybe.  But now I don’t have any energy left for other important things like family and relationships.

Know what fills your tank, and what depletes you.  Got a ton of tasks that wipe you out?  Spread them out over days.  Have a task that fills you up and energizes you?  Do it every day.

If we think in terms of rhythm and energy management, maybe we’ll not only have more success in utilizing our time, but feel better, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

You can listen to or download the full sermon here.

Do you feel like your life is a balancing act?  But does that balance weigh you down and leave you feeling wiped?  Do you take time to recharge regularly, or do you wait for the support beams to crack before you unplug and refresh?  I love hearing from you!