Led of the Spirit
Last week, we continued discussing our use of time, especially as we continued on with the idea of using a schedule as a tool.
The idea of having a schedule once seemed to our family as oppressive, bondage, and too extreme. Our desire was to allow the Lord to lead us each day. Additionally, I had tried to build a schedule many years ago, and it was so densely packed, it was impossible to stick to, and I felt overwhelmed and defeated!
It was later that we learned some keys in scheduling our time which have greatly relieved the day to day feeling of being overwhelmed (for the most part).
Our desire to be led of the Lord was best acheived by prayerfully, as husband and wife, figuring out what the Lord wanted for us to do each day! Our time is limited, and there is much spiritual profit in setting priorities down (on paper, for those of us with limited brain capacity!). Additionally, seeking my husband's priorities for my day catapulted me towards much progress (still much is needed!) towards submitting to my husband, because I was learning his priorities for our day. (Having me worn out each evening from chasing my tail doing things he did not consider priorities was not helping me towards my Proverbs 31 objectives!)
Duh! Scheduling wasn't just brainstorming a long list for Santa Claus..."Here is everything I can think of". That was what led to the demise of my early attempts at scheduling.
But maybe having a schedule still seems like drudgery and oppression. Here are some more comparisons to think about.
The schedule as a budget
Since time is a resource which is limited, there are many similarities between budgeting time and budgeting money. For one thing, we receive a limited amount of each. Another, we normally know what we need to accomplish with each resource. We know how much our rent or gas or electric will normally be, and we reserve that amount as a given.
With budgeting time, we know the things we must do each day, and we should reserve time for these necessities. We know we want to spend time with the Lord, eat, sleep, do laundry, and on and on.
Of course, the danger with both our time and our money is committing them to too many purposes, and running out. Or feeling that we should limit our giving to the Lord due to the other "necessities" in our day.
With money, it is a no-brainer most of the time, we need to be disciplined and have some sort of budget. Of course, that is a learning process, but since we can see and touch money, it is usually learned soon.
With time, it is easy for it to slip through our fingers, or be "nickled and dimed" away by too many distractions. We may not hear the cash register's "ka ching", but we come to the end of our day feeling that we accomplished little of what is important.
The schedule as a travel route
Another way of looking at it is as if we were taking a trip with a known destination. We map out our itinerary, figure how many hours we will spend driving each day, where we will stop for the day, etc. As each mile goes by, we know we are getting closer to our destination.
The same is true for having a schedule.
Now, on a trip, we may have car problems. We may pass by a special event which we think would be worth our time to stop and check out. We may stop and help a stranded motorist, or encounter bad weather. Even though our destination has not changed, special circumstances have overruled, and our plans must change. Does that mean we should get rid of our travel plans altogether?
No, but we must modify them, realizing God has permitted these things in our trip. We may have to drive a little longer, or just adjust to the reality we will arrive at a later time than expected. It seems the more we travel, we must learn patience with some of the more common travel obstacles (such as flight cancellations!). These are ways God is working maturity in us. Yes, we have our plans, which we ask the Lord to direct, but we remain yielded to his will as the hours pass, and we learn to make wise decisions as he brings changes in our plans.
Yet even as we make these adjustments, our destination is the same.
That is the thing that is so neat about the way the Lord works. He cares more about our hearts than our efficiency. What we accomplish, in order to glorify him, must come from the fruit of his spirit. Intentionally using our time in a way the pleases him requires the fruit of the Spirit, doesn't it?
The schedule as a teacher
For those of us with children in the home, the schedule can be an invaluable tool. In addition to the benefits above, the schedule helps us in modeling to our children both setting priorities and seeking to accomplish them. They learn that things don't just magically get done. We demonstrate that steps must be taken, other things must be told "no".
As we see we are modeling time use to our children, it curbs our temptation to become immersed in hobbies and other pursuits that prevent us from focusing on what is going on in our home. While they may draw us, we can sit back and more clinically analyze the effect that our distraction will have on our ability to discipline and pursue relationships with our children. We learn to pursue things which we can do with our children.
When my children were all very young, the temptation was strong to allow them to just keep doing whatever held their interest while I did other things. Later I found it more beneficial to not only bring things to a timely conclusion to enable us to get the the next objective, but to figure in some transition time (clean up, etc.). To me, it was just being realistic and practical; to the children, it is instructive. I believe my children, for the most part, have a much more realistic view of time management than when I was their age.
Another benefit for those with children is that a schedule leads us to getting them more independent. They learn the routine and gradually require less prodding.
We as moms become less stressed out when we have a written plan to refer to. We don't have to keep making decisions about what is next, we can just refer to the schedule. This teaches our children to ______________________. (What do you think?)
And another benefit is we follow through more often on our good intentions. If it is a God given priority, it will be on the schedule. Even if we are hit and miss, at least we have some hits, and as we adjust and become more self-disciplined, we have less misses.
And another benefit is accountability. As parents, knowing our children are watching and learning from us is a powerful incentive to get serious about our own obedience. We are naturally disgusted by hypocrisy, but often fail to see it in ourselves until its too late! One of my biggest challenges has been in avoiding the same time traps that I find myself often pointing out in my children!
The schedule as a testimony
When I was in junior high, I once dressed up as a housewife for Halloween. I wore a robe, slippers, put my hair in curlers, spread Noxema all over my face, and carried a rolled up TV Guide in my pocket. I did not grow up in a Christian home, and somehow I had acquired a mocking view of a housewife: leisurely, self-seeking, vain, no real reason to be home. It was intended to be a joke, but really, it was the only impression I had of a housewife. A housewife, after all, did not work.
1 Timothy 5:13-15 speaks of young women at home:
Apparently the stereotype of the housewife did not start in the 80's. And with the aid of modern technology, we can go house to house in the comfort of our own homes!
Guiding the house seems to be the key here in avoiding that stereotype. And what a testimony! At our recent ladies' brunch at the chapel, Joy Ford, of Hong Kong, shared of the witness it was just for her to have a peaceful, orderly home with which to welcome her husband and others. It is not normal!
First, its not normal for the woman to be home, and second, its not normal for the home to be peaceful.
As we see our purpose more and more in denying ourselves and seeking God's priorities for our day, and moment by moment endeavoring to stick to them, it is going to be noticed. We may feel we could do much better, and it may be true, but the world will notice. People see our true priorities reflected not in what we say, but in what we do with our time, just as they see it through what they know of how we spend our money...
A challenge
This week we will probably continue this discussion, unless the Lord overrules!
The purpose is not that we all have color-coded schedule charts on our fridge, but that we spur one another to love and good deeds. There are different ways that will apply to each of us. Please don't think I am an expert in this area!! Its a constant challenge in our house, but we have seen so much benefit from what we have been able to apply in our home.
We all know we are not in complete control of each day's events, and yet we all know we can do better in staying on task and setting priorities.
The idea of having a schedule once seemed to our family as oppressive, bondage, and too extreme. Our desire was to allow the Lord to lead us each day. Additionally, I had tried to build a schedule many years ago, and it was so densely packed, it was impossible to stick to, and I felt overwhelmed and defeated!
It was later that we learned some keys in scheduling our time which have greatly relieved the day to day feeling of being overwhelmed (for the most part).
Our desire to be led of the Lord was best acheived by prayerfully, as husband and wife, figuring out what the Lord wanted for us to do each day! Our time is limited, and there is much spiritual profit in setting priorities down (on paper, for those of us with limited brain capacity!). Additionally, seeking my husband's priorities for my day catapulted me towards much progress (still much is needed!) towards submitting to my husband, because I was learning his priorities for our day. (Having me worn out each evening from chasing my tail doing things he did not consider priorities was not helping me towards my Proverbs 31 objectives!)
Duh! Scheduling wasn't just brainstorming a long list for Santa Claus..."Here is everything I can think of". That was what led to the demise of my early attempts at scheduling.
But maybe having a schedule still seems like drudgery and oppression. Here are some more comparisons to think about.
The schedule as a budget
Since time is a resource which is limited, there are many similarities between budgeting time and budgeting money. For one thing, we receive a limited amount of each. Another, we normally know what we need to accomplish with each resource. We know how much our rent or gas or electric will normally be, and we reserve that amount as a given.
With budgeting time, we know the things we must do each day, and we should reserve time for these necessities. We know we want to spend time with the Lord, eat, sleep, do laundry, and on and on.
Of course, the danger with both our time and our money is committing them to too many purposes, and running out. Or feeling that we should limit our giving to the Lord due to the other "necessities" in our day.
With money, it is a no-brainer most of the time, we need to be disciplined and have some sort of budget. Of course, that is a learning process, but since we can see and touch money, it is usually learned soon.
With time, it is easy for it to slip through our fingers, or be "nickled and dimed" away by too many distractions. We may not hear the cash register's "ka ching", but we come to the end of our day feeling that we accomplished little of what is important.
The schedule as a travel route
Another way of looking at it is as if we were taking a trip with a known destination. We map out our itinerary, figure how many hours we will spend driving each day, where we will stop for the day, etc. As each mile goes by, we know we are getting closer to our destination.
The same is true for having a schedule.
Now, on a trip, we may have car problems. We may pass by a special event which we think would be worth our time to stop and check out. We may stop and help a stranded motorist, or encounter bad weather. Even though our destination has not changed, special circumstances have overruled, and our plans must change. Does that mean we should get rid of our travel plans altogether?
No, but we must modify them, realizing God has permitted these things in our trip. We may have to drive a little longer, or just adjust to the reality we will arrive at a later time than expected. It seems the more we travel, we must learn patience with some of the more common travel obstacles (such as flight cancellations!). These are ways God is working maturity in us. Yes, we have our plans, which we ask the Lord to direct, but we remain yielded to his will as the hours pass, and we learn to make wise decisions as he brings changes in our plans.
Yet even as we make these adjustments, our destination is the same.
That is the thing that is so neat about the way the Lord works. He cares more about our hearts than our efficiency. What we accomplish, in order to glorify him, must come from the fruit of his spirit. Intentionally using our time in a way the pleases him requires the fruit of the Spirit, doesn't it?
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
longsuffering,
gentleness,
goodness,
faith,
Meekness,
temperance:
against such there is no law.
love,
joy,
peace,
longsuffering,
gentleness,
goodness,
faith,
Meekness,
temperance:
against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
The schedule as a teacher
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Proverbs 23:26
Proverbs 23:26
For those of us with children in the home, the schedule can be an invaluable tool. In addition to the benefits above, the schedule helps us in modeling to our children both setting priorities and seeking to accomplish them. They learn that things don't just magically get done. We demonstrate that steps must be taken, other things must be told "no".
As we see we are modeling time use to our children, it curbs our temptation to become immersed in hobbies and other pursuits that prevent us from focusing on what is going on in our home. While they may draw us, we can sit back and more clinically analyze the effect that our distraction will have on our ability to discipline and pursue relationships with our children. We learn to pursue things which we can do with our children.
When my children were all very young, the temptation was strong to allow them to just keep doing whatever held their interest while I did other things. Later I found it more beneficial to not only bring things to a timely conclusion to enable us to get the the next objective, but to figure in some transition time (clean up, etc.). To me, it was just being realistic and practical; to the children, it is instructive. I believe my children, for the most part, have a much more realistic view of time management than when I was their age.
Another benefit for those with children is that a schedule leads us to getting them more independent. They learn the routine and gradually require less prodding.
We as moms become less stressed out when we have a written plan to refer to. We don't have to keep making decisions about what is next, we can just refer to the schedule. This teaches our children to ______________________. (What do you think?)
And another benefit is we follow through more often on our good intentions. If it is a God given priority, it will be on the schedule. Even if we are hit and miss, at least we have some hits, and as we adjust and become more self-disciplined, we have less misses.
And another benefit is accountability. As parents, knowing our children are watching and learning from us is a powerful incentive to get serious about our own obedience. We are naturally disgusted by hypocrisy, but often fail to see it in ourselves until its too late! One of my biggest challenges has been in avoiding the same time traps that I find myself often pointing out in my children!
The schedule as a testimony
When I was in junior high, I once dressed up as a housewife for Halloween. I wore a robe, slippers, put my hair in curlers, spread Noxema all over my face, and carried a rolled up TV Guide in my pocket. I did not grow up in a Christian home, and somehow I had acquired a mocking view of a housewife: leisurely, self-seeking, vain, no real reason to be home. It was intended to be a joke, but really, it was the only impression I had of a housewife. A housewife, after all, did not work.
1 Timothy 5:13-15 speaks of young women at home:
... they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
Apparently the stereotype of the housewife did not start in the 80's. And with the aid of modern technology, we can go house to house in the comfort of our own homes!
Guiding the house seems to be the key here in avoiding that stereotype. And what a testimony! At our recent ladies' brunch at the chapel, Joy Ford, of Hong Kong, shared of the witness it was just for her to have a peaceful, orderly home with which to welcome her husband and others. It is not normal!
First, its not normal for the woman to be home, and second, its not normal for the home to be peaceful.
As we see our purpose more and more in denying ourselves and seeking God's priorities for our day, and moment by moment endeavoring to stick to them, it is going to be noticed. We may feel we could do much better, and it may be true, but the world will notice. People see our true priorities reflected not in what we say, but in what we do with our time, just as they see it through what they know of how we spend our money...
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:21
Matthew 6:21
A challenge
This week we will probably continue this discussion, unless the Lord overrules!
The purpose is not that we all have color-coded schedule charts on our fridge, but that we spur one another to love and good deeds. There are different ways that will apply to each of us. Please don't think I am an expert in this area!! Its a constant challenge in our house, but we have seen so much benefit from what we have been able to apply in our home.
We all know we are not in complete control of each day's events, and yet we all know we can do better in staying on task and setting priorities.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace...
1 Corinthians 14:33
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