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When We Waste Time

by Marci Ferrell
Biblical Womanhood Christian Living Encouragement Time Management Uncategorized

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When We Waste Time

“To waste time is to squander a gift from God.”

~ John Blanchard

I'm pondering this thought in the title (When We Waste Time) as I've been going through old blog posts and updating them since my blog moved from blogger to WordPress.  Everything did not switch over seamlessly and my blog needs some time and attention over the next few weeks years :).

I can find myself expecting to sit and work on this task for 15 minutes and realize an hour has passed.  I have other things I need to take care of in my home but sitting mindlessly reading through old blog posts seems a bit more on the easy side and more appealing over folding a load of laundry or washing dishes.

I'm using updating my blog as an example but it can be a host of other things that distract us from the most important tasks of our day.  It may be Facebook, email, phone calls, reading, television, or  a host of other activities that we find more interesting than the tasks at hand. It may be we are just good procrastinators.

Let me state there is nothing wrong with spending time on Facebook, blogging, television or whatever your leisure time activities may be, but there is a problem if it is taking you away from getting your work done in the home.

My problem is an issue of self discipline and prioritizing the tasks at hand.  Discipline is an area I need to continue to challenge myself and grow in.  It is much easier to do what I want to do when I want to do it.  Our society has become one of instant gratification and many times I buy into the lie.

I don't have this perfected and it will be a continual work in my life but here are some habits I continue to develop to become self disciplined with my time.  Time is a gift from the Lord and I don't want to waste what the Lord has gifted me with.  I want to be a good steward of the time and make the most of my days.

When I waste time and I know I have wasted time I just feel yucky.  I know, not a profound statement, but it's true.  When I've been diligent in my tasks for the day and been productive I feel better when I do sit to scan Facebook or watch a movie.

Simple Ways to Make the Most of Your Days:

1.  Spend time with the Lord first thing in the morning – We can have a zillion excuses why we don't do this but it is the best time to spend with the Lord.  We are at our best and it is usually the quietest time of the day.  There is no better way to start your day than sitting at the feet of Jesus first thing in the morning.

“It is a good rule never to look into the face of man in the morning till you have looked into the face of God.”

~ Charles Spurgeon

2.  Take care of the tasks that are the most difficult – If you find you are a procrastinator with certain items on your to do list, take the time to attend to those tasks first thing in the day so you can move beyond them.  Many times for me it is a difficult or time consuming phone call.  Once I get beyond this task the others seem to go smoothly.

3.  Make sure you finish what you start – How many times as keepers of our homes do we go from one task to another and never finish any of them?  When you start a task, finish it through.  (See Staying on Task in an Unfocused World)

4.  Take the time to get organized – This is not an overnight fix but it is one we should continually work to strive towards.  The more organized we are the less time and money we waste.  When we're organized with meal planning we have less waste of food and better use of leftovers.  Think of how many hours of your life you have wasted looking for items?  Work your home one room at a time. (See some of my posts on Organization here).

5.  Learn to deny yourself – When you're tempted to check email before reading your Bible in the morning – Deny Yourself!  When you're wanting to sleep in instead of spending time with the Lord in the morning – Deny Yourself!  When you would rather put off until tomorrow what you can do today – Deny Yourself! and finish the tasks at hand. (See Don't Waste Your Mornings)

Final Thoughts to Share:

When those days or moments come up that you have squandered the time away, don't spend time beating yourself up about it or sulking.  Repent and move forward.  You can't go back but you can move forward.  I know it sounds cliche but it is true – God's mercies are new every morning.  

Now that you're at the end of this post I want you to see what the next item is on your to do list and just do it.  Maybe you need to hug your little one or sit and read a story with them.  Maybe you do need to get the laundry moving or maybe you need to sit at the feet of Jesus and be reminded of His great love for you if you are in Christ.

“We have only the time allotted by God, and none of us knows when it will run out. Every Christian life runs by His divine timetable and against His divine clock. We do not know how long He will hold open the door of a given opportunity or of our entire time of service. “Be careful how you walk,” Paul counsels, “not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). God gives us many things without limit – His love, His grace, and many others. But His gift of time is strictly measured.”

~ John MacArthur

 

Related Links:
The Art of Self Discipline – Sermon series from Grace to You

Discipline: The Glad Surrender

Don't Waste Your Mornings

Staying on Task in an Unfocused World

 

 

Related posts:

  1. 4 Encouragements to Help You Stay Motivated
  2. EP 33: Is Your Smartphone Changing You?
  3. Staying On Task in an Unfocused World
  4. How Well Do You Manage Your Home?


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Comments

  1. Trish says

    at

    What a blessing your blog was for me to find!!!

    Thank you for the insight!

  2. Kaye B says

    at

    This is a wonderful post! Thank you – so very true, I think I’ll print it out for inspiration. I found your blog through the homemaker bundle, and was very blessed by what you shared on Jami’s homemaker conference. Kaye in Australia. xo

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Marci Ferrell
Think to yourself before you respond to pause and Think to yourself before you respond to pause and pray. Two simple actions that take a moment but can give you wise words that are covered in gentleness, grace, and love.⁣
⁣
Quote from EP 60: Gently Correcting Our Children you can listen in at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
We are called in Ephesians 4:29 to respond with wo We are called in Ephesians 4:29 to respond with words that give grace, encourage, and build up. This includes those hard moments when our kids are sinfully disobedient.⁣
⁣
Listen in to EP 60: Gently Correcting Our Children at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣ shows us our empti By affliction, Christ . . .⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣
~ J.C Ryle
This simple free eight-page guide is meant to help This simple free eight-page guide is meant to help you think through your summertime schedule for your family. As you walk through it you'll determine what your family loves to do, leave room for spontaneity, and put together a simple daily routine to help your days run a bit smoother. ⁣
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There are some summertime meal planning tips and a printable with ideas to put on your family's bucket list for summer and maybe spark new ones of your own! ⁣
⁣
Come download your free 8-page summertime guide here and get access to our whole library of printables when you do.
Such a good conversation with Dale Partridge from Such a good conversation with Dale Partridge from @relearnhq about his new Gospel Project called MailtheGospel.org. You can get the gospel to anyone anywhere.
So appreciate @reagantrose (I do recommend you fol So appreciate @reagantrose (I do recommend you follow friends if you don’t yet!)- link to the podcast episode we talked about Homemaking to the Glory of God in my profile @thankfulhomemaker 

Repost from @reagantrose 
Godliness > Your Plans⁠
The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones.⁣
~ Henry Ward Beecher⁣
⁣
Come listen to EP 32: Preparing Our Families for Sunday Morning Worship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
How many times does Sunday morning roll around and How many times does Sunday morning roll around and you find your heart in a state of chaos instead of calm to worship the Lord?  How many Sundays do you arrive at church and realize you haven’t taken the time all week to pray for your pastor or your church family? ⁣
⁣
I want to share with you some simple steps we can take to prepare our hearts and the hearts of our families for Sunday morning worship to the Lord. ⁣
⁣
The hope today is to get you to understand the purpose and the mission of the local church and then to move on toward how we can proceed with some simple steps to prepare our hearts and the hearts of our families for Sunday morning worship to the Lord.⁣
⁣
Come listen to EP 32: Preparing Our Families for Sunday Morning Worship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
"Home is the true wife's kingdom. ⁣ ⁣ Very lar "Home is the true wife's kingdom. ⁣
⁣
Very largely does the wife hold in her ⁣
hands, as a sacred trust, the happiness ⁣
and the highest good of the hearts that ⁣
nestle there. In the last analysis, home ⁣
happiness depends on the wife. ⁣
⁣
Her spirit gives the home its atmosphere. ⁣
⁣
Her hands fashion its beauty. ⁣
⁣
Her heart makes its love. ⁣
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And the end is so worthy, so noble, so divine, ⁣
that no woman who has been called to be a wife, ⁣
and has listened to the call, should consider any⁣
price too great to pay, to be . . .⁣
 the light,⁣
 the joy,⁣
 the blessing,⁣
 the inspiration, ⁣
of a home. ⁣
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The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, ⁣
filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing ⁣
something better than anything else her hands ⁣
could find to do beneath the skies.⁣
⁣
A true mother is one of the holiest secrets of ⁣
home happiness. God sends many beautiful things ⁣
to this world, many noble gifts; but no blessing is ⁣
richer than that which He bestows in a mother who ⁣
has learned love's lessons well, and has realized ⁣
something of the meaning of her sacred calling."⁣
⁣
~ J. R. Miller, "Secrets of Happy Home Life"
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