Time is defined as the indefinite, continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future.
I read this definition over and over again just to get a full grasp of it; then I realized that what the bible said about everything under the earth being meaningless is absolutely true. As a deep thinker, I find my thoughts wandering and ask myself, “indefinite continuous progress of existence?” But time keeps going even when I sleep. “Do I have to reduce my sleep time or just not sleep at all so I can be more productive and use more time in order not to looe any of it?”
On the other hand, I’m also thinking, why am I writing this topic? I’m not done figuring how to manage my time, as a matter of fact, I struggle with time management; what do I have to tell anyone about it? Wait a minute, is the Holy Spirit trying to do something here? It’s time to reset my time and learn from my own words, after all, I’m all for practicing what I preach. So, who best to ask about time but the creator of time itself? And straight to His word, the bible. The beauty of the word of God is that it holds answers to all of life’s issues and questions if only we are willing to flip more pages and seek God’s knowledge instead of googling knowledge (not that google knowledge is bad). I know how many times I have read about time management online and still fall short after practicing a few tips for a couple of days but that’s about to end because I’m applying a new approach (the God-way). Now let’s reel it back.
Time is one of the most valuable commodities we have as humans and we can’t afford to waste it; it’s one of the few free and most valuable gifts that can’t be sold or bought.
Luke 10:38-42 says;
“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Did you notice that Jesus never told Martha she was wasting her time by not sitting at his feet; this is because what she was doing was also productive. She was working with a purpose, which is to feed Jesus, while Mary was interested in feeding her soul by listening to His message. Christ is telling us something here, sometimes we fret over the small stuff and feel like we have this thing called life on a lock down (figured out) but that’s not always the case, we all at some point need to go back to Jesus’s feet and spend quality time with him. After all, the purpose of man’s creation is to serve God. In as much as God wants us to use our time productively in order to fulfil destiny, he is also calling us to a place of rest and reliance where we can depend fully on him and not trust only our hustle power. In order to use our time correctly, compartmentalizing time does offer a great deal of help and structure to your management. To compartmentalize means you have the ability to shut out all distractions and other work except for the work in front of you.
Here are different ways time can be spent:
Constructive time
This time demands all of our attention and dedication; e.g. studying, learning or improving on a skill, spending time with God or something productive. 5 hours every day is the minimal time that should be spent doing something constructive and with this you’ll be on the right track to achieving success.
Rejuvenating time
Time attributed to rest/leisure. Everyone needs rest, (may be the sleep time I was pondering on fits right into this category). This time is very essential because it allows your brain, soul and body to relax and recharge for a new day of great achievement; this time should never be considered a waste in any way.
Destructive time
Time spent on idle talk, unproductive long hours on social media, negative mind space etc., and this can eat into our precious time without us even knowing. One way to stay away from this is to always remind ourselves of how precious our time is and how irreplaceable it is. The best way to keep oneself on check on social media is by following handles that either inspire you positively or help harness your skills.
With all we’ve learnt about time, it still takes the grace of God and personal discipline to fully make good use of every second of life. Praying about time management is no joke as God is willing and ready to help us, including things we consider unimportant and don’t want to “disturb” God about.
Don’t expect anyone to help you figure out time management; you must decide the value of each moment by your actions. Start altering little actions, one day at a time, because what you do with your time, makes you who you are day by day.
Written by Vera Okobi
