Wednesday's Wisdom - What I think God is trying to teach me

My goal with my "Wednesday's Wisdom - What I think God is trying to teach me" posts is to take time to journal my life lessons in an entertaining and memorable way (primarily, so I won't have to learn them the hard way... again).  If nothing else, it gives you a brief insight into my life, although, for the record, it takes me a while to catch-on and process what God is trying to teach me... so my Wednesday posts may be a couple weeks behind what is happening in real time. My sincere apologies to those of you who have already heard my rant on this life lesson...

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"What do you like to do in your SPARE time?" the well-meaning, near-stranger asked, followed by an unnecessary commentary on how I "really had my hands full" with 2/3rds of my darling daughters. 

I quickly pasted on my good church-lady face and replied in my sing-songy-preschool-teacher voice, "Oh, but they are SUCH A BLESSING," while all the while my heart was crying, "Oh LADY! That is just the tip of the iceberg! IF YOU ONLY KNEW... what I HAVE TO DO today."

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This providential exchange got me thinking... about SPARE time.  What is SPARE time?  Do we really have SPARE time?  What else do we call SPARE?  SPARE change... nope.  At our house, even spare change is designated for a purpose.  SPARE tire... nope.  It is really an emergency tire.  It is not extra.  It is necessary.  SPARE time?  NO WAY!

 If you are not familiar with the illustration,
please visit:
http://www.turnbacktogod.com/story-rocks-in-a-jar/



Now, it isn't that I am SO busy that I never have an extra minute, but that every minute is precious and ultimately accounted for.  I think about the old Dr. Steven Covey example of the jar of rocks... Do you know the story? (If not, take time to read it at the link in the caption of the photo.) 

You first have to put in the big rocks, then the little pebbles, then the sand, and, finally, the water.   No, the moral of the story is not that "no matter how busy you are you can always fit more in."  The moral is... you have to put the big rocks in FIRST or there will NEVER be room for them. 

Time is like this jar of rocks.  There isn't any SPARE time.  We each have 24 hours in our day.  While sometimes days seem shorter or longer, you don't ever get 24 hrs. and 35 minutes, so that you can spend your SPARE time on Facebook. ;^) And like our money, the way we spend our time says a lot about our priorities.

Clearly, laundry, meetings and carpool are VERY important to me... because that is how I spend a LOT of my time.  No, more seriously... My family, my faith, my church, my friends, are the most important things in my life.   Does my time reflect that?

Even now, as I write this, I am keenly aware that I am not doing it in my SPARE time, but I am stealing the time that should be used to snuggle my daughter who doesn't feel well or to keep the baby from writing too many checks or eating too many crayons (both serious hazards of getting into the desk drawer).  SO, this post will wait, until Quiet Time...

Other implications:

• Does my time reflect my priorities?  Does it glorify God?
• Does the way I spend my "water" time steal from more important things? (i.e. - "rocks" that don't fit in my jar - exercise, Bible study, healthy meal planning, laundry...)
• Are there "water" activities that are "lawful," but not "helpful"?
• Does this mean I will never again have time to do something just for fun or just for myself?  (NO WAY! Those are two BIG rocks... but more on that another time.)

"'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful.
'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up...
So, whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God." 
I Corinthians 10: 23 & 31 (ESV)