I don’t know about you, but time always seems to be in short supply for me. (A perfect example is this post which should have been posted yesterday. Time did not cooperate.)

And yet, as a wife and mom, time is demanded. Constantly. There is always something needing my attention, whether it’s a project I’ve initiated myself or things that have been brought to me to deal with by my family.

The question – the difficulty – the problem – is managing our time. Knowing in an instant what’s important and what isn’t; what needs to be looked at right now and what can wait. I am not always good at this. Sometimes little stuff trips me up when I should be working on big stuff. Sometimes I’m so overwhelmed with big things that I neglect little things that really wouldn’t take that much time if I’d just stop and deal with it at that moment instead of adding it to the “I’ll get to it later” pile.

Now I know why Solomon prayed for wisdom.

As women, we definitely need wisdom, don’t we? We have a lot to juggle, a lot to deal with, and a lot we’re responsible for.

So for this week’s challenge, I’m challenging you to make time. This may look different for different people, but the question I want you to ask yourself is “am I using my time wisely right now?” or even better, “Am I using my time right now the way God wants me to?” (Ouch, I know, THAT is a tough question!) Do you tend to throw dishes into the sink and let them pile up before you actually put them in the dishwasher? Stop, take a minute, and put a glass in the dishwasher instead. Same with laundry. Try to do at least a load in the morning to wash and at least a load at night to dry. It will take less than 10 minutes and will keep you from feeling like you’re dealing with Mt. Laundry at the end of the week. Do you find yourself playing a whole lot on FB, looking at other people’s pictures of what they’re doing? Um… get off FB and come up with your own adventures!

Have you called a friend recently? Have you made time to have time with friends? That may be something you want to do this week. What about time with your husband? Have you made time to just sit and enjoy a tv show together or take a few minutes to plan out the answer to the age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” so everyone isn’t stressed and grumpy every night trying to figure it out. Do you find yourself just wanting to be a bum after dinner instead of helping your kids with their homework or maybe doing something more fun? Give yourself an hour after the kids go to bed to have time for yourself, and spend that time they’re still up doing what needs to be done.

We had an elderly man stop in our Sunday school class this past Sunday who shared a little story with us. For the last 45 years, he has been in charge of a nursing home church service sponsored by our church. He was around the age of our class members (thirties) when he was asked to do it. When he first started, he didn’t like doing it. He really didn’t want to do it. Weeks went by and he met each service with a frown and a grumble inside. But one week he finally stopped and talked to God about it and realized it was his attitude that was the biggest problem. So he changed it. And he started looking for the good of what he was spending his time on (which was really just an hour a week on a Sunday afternoon). And he saw it.

So that’s what I want to challenge us this week with. To make time for the right things, the important things, and look for the good in those things. And if we have to, change our attitudes. Because at the end of the day, it won’t be about money or material possessions… it will be how we spent our time. So let’s make it count.

What do you need to focus your time on (in short spurts or longer)? 

What can you spend your time better doing?

What can you cut out and save your time for other things?