Simplify! Invest Time Wisely

Hauntingly, the tick of my grandfather clock never stops. I walk past it and it is 8:00 a.m. I smile. There is much to do today and I’m so thankful that there is much time to do it in. Suddenly, I rub my bleary eyes and look up as the chime sounds. What? Ten p.m. How did that happen, the day has slipped away, and so much is still undone.

I reassure myself that I can tackle it all again tomorrow but the truth of the matter is, the relentless taskmaster of time, will march again in much the same way as it did today.

Is there anything more precious than time? A gift from God, it alone provides the means for me to be productive, contribute, love, lunch, and learn. Where would I be without time? More importantly than that, how can I get more of it?

Invest Time Wisely

Answer this question: How would your pace of life and your peace of mind be different if you had three extra hours a day?

It’s fun to imagine having an extra three hours a day. My cupboards would be full, the laundry done, and my emails all answered. With three extra hours, I would savor God, love my family, enjoy my friends, and live fully.

Yet, most of us do have an extra three hours a day. We just spend it watching TV. Carl Sandburg once said, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent.” Spend wisely!

"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came
back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars
showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him:
'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'"
Matthew 25:19-21 (MSG)

Action Step: Invest your time wisely this week by turning the TV off completely or consider cutting your TV viewing in half for one month. The return on investment will delight you.

Be sure to comment here and let me know what you got accomplished in your twenty-one extra hours this week.

Simplify! Fight False Expectations.

Too Much

“Of course, Sandy, I realize how busy you are. It’s just that you are the only one who can keep those babies calm in the nursery. Would you please work just one more semester?”

Sandy sighed and agreed. It’s not that she couldn’t squeeze the time in, she was going to church anyway, it was just….

With her mother guilting her, her husband overloading her, the children pulling, the teaching committee enlisting, the neighborhood association calling, not to mention the Friends of the Library, the Association for the Blind, the Cancer-Walk and a myriad of other good things, Sandy had too much to do. What’s the problem?

Burnout Ahead

Sandy tries to keep her life and her days running smoothly. She cares about her church, her marriage, her kids, her city, and her Lord. But something isn’t right and she knows it. Sandy is headed for spiritual, emotional, and relational burnout and it will not be pretty.

Maybe you can identify with Sandy. You have too many demands and not enough you. Did God intend for it to be this hard? No, He didn’t. The problem is that much of the stress and strain in our lives does not come from trying to please God but in trying to meet the expectations of all others.

Narrow Your Focus and Expand Your Influence

God’s answer is to narrow your focus – do only what He desires and expand your influence – He will take care of everything else. Is your life suffering from the clutter of trying to meet false expectations?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33

Fight False Expectations

Answer this question: How much of your time is devoted to trying to meet the expectations of others?

People-pleasing stems from the underlying false belief that our value as a person depends on what others think of us. Incredible freedom comes from truly owning the Scriptural truth that God loves you unconditionally regardless of your accomplishments and your short-comings. Choose today to exemplify that truth, whether you ‘feel’ it or not.

If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)

Action Step: Commit to not saying ‘yes’ to any new thing for one whole month without taking one week to first pray and seek counsel.

Simplify - Week Two - Less is More

Does your stomach hurt when the bills come? Do you dread hearing that six-letter word, budget? Is the phrase ‘checkbook balance’ a genuine oxymoron? In this day and age we feel incredible pressure to do it all, be it all, and have it all – no matter the cost. But we would be wise to realize, as Ralph Waldo Emerson did, “Sometimes money costs too much.”

Step two of our five week program for simplifying your life asks you to consider the role of money and of possessions. Financial problems easily clutter and cloud every aspect of our lives. The good news is this, more is not always better.

As thoughtful, intentional children of God, we want to fight the world’s system of chasing a lifestyle and instead design and live a life. As we do, we will discover that deliberate obedience and simple elegance is what feeds our relationships, our families, and our souls. Less is more.

Less is More

Answer this question: How much of the busyness and complexity of your life is a result of choosing, purchasing, and maintaining luxury items that you never have time to enjoy?

Does keeping up with the ‘stuff’ of life take increasingly more time and money? We too easily fall into the trap of spending so much time and energy acquiring and then repairing our possessions that we barely have time to enjoy them. Crazy, isn’t it? It is because we have forgotten this truth, everything comes from God and exists for God.

We are but stewards of our lives and our resources. A faithful steward waits to hear from the Master before she decides what to buy and what not to buy. Then and only then does the steward implement the Master’s will. God has a plan for all our lives and it is greater than the sum of our possessions.

Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
I John 2:15-17 (MSG)

Action Step: Make a list of five things in your life that you are planning to purchase this year or that you already own. Prayerfully submit each one to God and ask Him what He would have you do. Do it.

Simplify - Week One - Prioritize

Are you crazy busy? Is your inbox full and your calendar overflowing? Do you rush from thing to thing just to stay on the treadmill of life? Is your relationship with God more of a duty than a delight? Are you full but not fulfilled?

It can be different. Over the next five weeks, we will examine the most common problems that add needless complexity to your life, learn God’s answer, and give a concrete action step so that you can begin to make a measurable difference in your life, today.

With this brief program, you will be able to assess how busyness is affecting the quality of your life, realign yourself with God’s truths, and begin the move towards a purposeful, joyful, and Christ-saturated life.

Your future begins today!

Prioritize

Ask yourself this question: How is busyness compromising my relationship with God and others?

Busyness is America’s most applauded addiction. It is easy to see why. Quick movements, fast decisions, email relationships – these all have the appearance of wisdom, the ability to buy us the life and happiness we want. Yet in reality, busyness undermines our relationship with God and robs us of joy in our daily living.

God gives us this counter-cultural admonition:

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
Don't worry about missing out.
You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Matthew 6:33 (The Msg.)

When we put God first, He guarantees that all those other worries will be met.

Action Step: Write down the most important thing you can begin doing today to ensure that busyness will never again compromise your relationship with God. Schedule (with ink) in the changes you will need to make to reflect your new priorities.

Come back next week for step two. You are well on your way to a more peaceful, simple, joyful life.