I have to admit, as a writer, mom, teacher, wife, etc. etc., I just can't find the time to do everything I want to do. It's overwhelming and it's defeating to try to do it all. One thing I do know is that I'm not the only person to ever feel this way. But in the never ending quest for more time, do we really use our time wisely? I hate to admit it, but my honest answer is no. Right now, I have a To Do list sitting on my coffee table. It's full of things I have to do this week. Today is Tuesday, and I haven't checked off one thing yet. I know I'll get around to some of it, but all of it is looking doubtful. Typing the words brings back the the anxiety of being overwhelmed. So how do we find time to do it all? And can we? I think that depends on your list. If your list is realistic, then yes. If your weekly list has Write a novel, Complete all housework, Paint the house...well, you're fooling yourself. Be true to who you are and how much you can really do. There's nothing worse than overfilling your list only to look at it and realize you can't do any of the things you set out to do. What inevitably happens is we set ourselves up for failure and worse--wasting time! I think wasting time has to be the number one thing we tend to and don't realize it until it's too late. As writers, it's a huge habit for most of us. We sit down at the computer and open up our work in progress. We stare at it. We type a few words, only to hit the backspace and take it all away. We minimize and open our web browser. An hour later, we've checked our email, Facebook, Twitter, blog, website, shopped online, visited other author's websites, blogs, Facebooks, Twitters, and after all that we just can't get started writing until we've posted, updated, tweeted, and commented to all we've just read. We go back to our work in progress and stare at the screen, only to realize we've already been on the computer for two hours and the kids have to be picked up, dinner has to be cooked, and laundry has to be done by bedtime. We're out of time and we're mad about it. If only we could find more time! Sound familiar? As I set out to write this blog, I began reading Bible verses to refresh my mind on God's plan for me, and the time he's blessed with me. He never wants us to take our time for granted. It's so fleeting that we hardly can grasp the concept of how short our lives really are. Every second is precious. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were sentenced to nearly 40 years of walking aimlessly through the desert doing nothing more than wasting time. God's plan for our lives is far different. He hasn't sentenced us to a life of killing time. He has a definitive plan for us that has every second accounted for. It's up to us to make sure we don't waste it. A familiar scripture verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. God, in his divine plan, knows exactly how much time we need to carry out His will for our lives. Even on the days when we feel overwhelmed, there is time for a break. Enjoy every second of every day and take heart in knowing that He will give us the time we need to accomplish all tasks, so long as we stay true to ourselves and plan accordingly each day. Now, stop reading blogs and go whittle down that To Do list. You'll have the rest of the day to finish writing the novel He wants you to write--or maybe even take a nap.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
