July 14, 2005
Time Management - Isaiah Style
Woe is me! Woe is me!
That's what Isaiah said when overwhelmed about a certain thing.
Me? My "certain thing" is nowhere near as big or important. My thing is time management. If I come in and read my email (and get that inbox empty), it takes a good 2-3 hours until that's done. And if I haven't started my day with a devotion, and/or if I haven't gotten into my biggest priority projects of the day, then I get bummed out. I remember the days when I was single. I didn't have much of a social life (but I did have fellowship at church on Sundays and I led a "home church" on Thursdays at my place, so there was more than adequate social interaction), but I didn't care. I'd wake up late and mosey into my office room at 8:30 or so and start working, and it didn't matter if I got sidetracked into answering phone calls and emails for hours -- I'd just work late into the night. I love this magazine, so it didn't bother me that I was "working late." It was joyful. My life is not the same anymore, and that's a good thing, albeit more challenging.
So, I find it important to get massive amounts of work done during normal business hours (8-5). I don't take much of a lunch break (usually about 12 minutes). I just wish I could relax and not get uptight about being or feeling "behind" on my workload. My challenge is my attitude. I can accept my circumstances and find joy in it.
Chapter 12 of Isaiah finds the prophet singing a song of praise:
"'...The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.'
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
In that day you will say,
'Give thanks to the Lord,
call on His Name;
make known among the nations
what He has done,
and proclaim that His Name is exalted...
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.'"
God is indeed good, and we can sing a song of joy and praise any time of any day. This singing is for Him, but there are benefits that bounce back to us (the key is not doing it for the benefits, but doing it for the Person it's directed); and those benefits are joy and strength.
Please pray today for our beloved intern, Tim Hallila. His heart is beating faster than normal (like that post-workout pace) during times of rest, etc. He's going to get it checked out now.
