Time Suck*- an inefficient or unproductive activity, process, etc.; a waste of time.
On a recent Sunday the sermon challenged us to look at the things to which we are devoted. If one has trouble thinking about it, consider: What does our calendar look like? What does our budget (or checking account) look like? What does our internet history look like? Those questions can help us determine where we spend our time, money and attention.
I have been thinking about that lately. I realize that while I do need to tweak some of my time management as well as managing our budget a little better, the biggest area I need to address is my internet history. Nothing shocking but just time wasters. Do I really need to know that Sidney Poitier was tone deaf and his singing was dubbed in Lilies of the Field? How will it help my life’s purpose to have watched on youtube an old Password game featuring Gary Morton, Lucille Ball and children, Lucie and Desi Jr (Though it was funny to watch the reactions of the children. Lucie Arnaz is a typical preteen! And it was rather nice to see Gary Morton stand when any of the ladies stood up.)
So, if I am spending too much time with time wasters, where would I like to direct my time? More importantly, am I listening to where God wants me to direct my time?
I must admit I do not read nearly as much as I want to, nor do I enjoy my home as much as I could. Sitting in our living room and reading an engaging novel is too infrequent. A couple years ago I had a volunteer church meeting on our screened porch. One of the attendees was very complimentary about our home decor noting it was very inviting for gathering. I realized that we did have options for seating yet I couldn’t remember the last time I actually sat down to enjoy any of the spaces.
I am wondering if I got rid of the time suckers would I then have more wiggle room in my schedule? Would I be in a better position to be available for whatever God would have me do? I have finally come to the conclusion and the acceptance that, no matter what schedule I may have planned for the day, week, month or even year- it is always changing.
Since interruptions are a given, I should allow the rest of the time to be more focused on what I want and need to do. Or in other words, if I removed the wasted time in my schedule, the unplanned activities would fit in nicely.
What about you? In what areas do you struggle- time, money, attention? How would you like to manage them?
Lord, today is a new day- full of possibilities. As our day unfolds, help us to be disciplined in the areas that we need to do yet foremost, help us to be open and flexible to the areas that You need us to do. Amen.
* Just writing the word, “suck” makes me think of a scene from the BBC period drama, Cranford staring all those you know and love from the UK: (One could argue that the drama alone is a time suck- oh the irony.)
“THE ENIGMA OF THE ORANGE
Miss Deborah Jenkyns has very definite views on many aspects of everyday life. One should not, for example, mention the word "poverty" out loud. But what about the delicate operation known as "eating an orange"? She and her sister Matty had to maintain their decorum when consuming the fruit with Mary, a fresh-faced newcomer to Cranford. The hapless Mary made the mistake of admitting she liked to suck out the juice through a hole in the rind, and Deborah was quite simply horrified by the revelation.
"My sister does not care for the expression 'suck'," Matty explained. "It is altogether too redolent of a ritual undertaken by little babies." After this appalling transgression in vocabulary, Deborah announced that they had no other option but to "repair to our rooms and consume our fruit in solitude". Quite right too.” (https://drama.uktv.co.uk/cranford/article/cranfords-battiest-moments/)
2017-Living Life Well
As we say good-bye to an old year and ring in a new, would you say that you have lived life well? Have you not only endured your situation but have thrived in it? Are you just going through the motions of life or are you embracing it? Are you dreading another year or are you excited about the opportunities? Do you feel that life is a series of repetitive mundane encounters- sleep, eat, work? Or do you feel possibilities brimming at every turn?
This year, I am wondering why can’t we make the repetitive encounter, the ordinary events, extra- ordinary? Why should we just settle for the mundane?
This year, I want to live my life well, full of abundance, and brimming over the top.
What does that mean? For me? What would that mean for you?
For me living life well means to embrace all that life has to offer- the good, the bad and the ugly. For it is in that reflection of it all, that perspective is given and only through that perspective can I then appreciate all the goodness in my life and celebrate it.
- Counting my blessings- each day being grateful for what I have been giving
- Practicing the presence of being- enjoying the moments with others as well as by myself
- Sharing with others- not just my extra resources but at times willing to share sacrificially
- Being mindful of each encounter, meal, conversation, action, etc. that I witness
- Finding purpose and meaning in what I do- even if that is as simple as washing the dishes
- Learning more about the world around me- being curious
- Experiencing the arts and the gift of creativity
- Encouraging others in their life journey
I am sure as I continue exploring living life well, I will expand my list. At first when I explored living well, it contained the foundational elements of body, mind, spirit: finding balance in being as healthy as one can be. And that is still a good goal. Yet I am ready to move further and deeper in my pursuit of living physically, mentally and spiritually well. I am ready to live a life that reflects back the light and love of God: a contagious, winsome, abundant life-affirming existence.
Won't you join me?