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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

 

 

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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
It is better to get wisdom than gold. Gold is anot It is better to get wisdom than gold. Gold is another’s, wisdom is our own; gold is for the body and time, wisdom for the soul and eternity.⁣
~ Matthew Henry⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Whether you're running errands, doing household ch Whether you're running errands, doing household chores, or sipping your coffee, you can do it in style, reminding yourself and others you are a Thankful Homemaker 🥰⁣
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Shop TH Gear at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
What do you think of when you hear the word discer What do you think of when you hear the word discernment? The dictionary defines it as making a distinction between good and evil and truth and falsehood. As believers, we all desire to be discerning and wise in our choices. As we mature and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures, the hope is we will use that information to make choices in line with God's will.⁣
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We become discerning people by not just knowing what to think but how to think. Being spiritually discerning is an ability to see the world the way God does. This comes about as we grow and mature spiritually into the likeness of Christ. It is about seeing “All That's Good.”⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench i “Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn’t waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son.”⁣
~ Betsy Childs Howard⁣
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Listen in to EP 23: Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding mysel As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding myself in a waiting room on the Lord, and it’s been a long one, and I don’t see an end near.  It has reminded me that when I gave myself to Him, I gave up my “right” to be in charge. The reality is we never were in charge anyway; we just came to that understanding when the Lord opened our eyes to His sovereign control over our lives.⁣
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Even though it is a truth I know or we know, how many times do we want to think that somehow we can effect change in our life situations?⁣
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Waiting is hard because there is no guarantee that my waiting will end in this lifetime. One thing I have learned – my waiting has deepened my trust in the Lord and has helped me to develop patience, perseverance, and endurance.⁣
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It’s also given me different eyes to see with compassion others who are in a season of waiting.⁣
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Listen in to EP 23 Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Six questions I have written in my Bible that have Six questions I have written in my Bible that have been a help to me over the years may be a help to you, too, to be prayerful and slow to speak. These are helpful questions not just in our friendships but in our marriages and with our children, and truly any of our relationships:⁣
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1. Is this the time to say this?⁣
2. Am I the person to say this?⁣
3. Is it necessary?⁣
4. Is it true?⁣
5. Is it kind?⁣
6. Do I need to say this?⁣
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Listen in to EP 140: Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
We all know that fostering true biblical friendshi We all know that fostering true biblical friendship isn’t easy – it takes work. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we’re going to have trouble in this world, and trouble does touch all our lives in various areas, but this includes our friendships too.⁣
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We’ll be hurt; we’ll be the ones hurting others; selfishness is a battle; jealousy and envy raise their ugly heads; we have our fears and insecurities, failed expectations, the damage our tongues do to one another, not appropriating the gospel and these all come from hearts that are still battling sin. ⁣
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So when these threats to our friendship with one another in Christ come up, it shouldn’t surprise us that we have these issues, but what we need to keep at the forefront of our minds is how we respond and deal with them when they do come up. ⁣
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I want to walk us through some of these threats, and this list I’m working with isn’t exhaustive – there are many more threats than what I am addressing today – but these are areas that stood out to me that have been a battle within some of my friendships over the years. Sadly, it is often the sin I’m battling in my heart, and I need to get my thinking, attitudes, and actions lined up with God’s Word.⁣
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May we be women who are willing to return to the a May we be women who are willing to return to the authority of God’s Word, embrace God’s priorities for our lives and homes, and live out the beauty and wonder of womanhood as God created it to be.⁣
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