Wednesday Wonder – October 11, 2023

Time. Most of us complain that we simply do not have enough. And some days, that certainly seems true. The to do list is too large or the unexpected happens and we get behind on the usual. Time is our one truly non-renewable resource.
My outlook on time changed a while ago when I discovered a book by Laura Vanderkam titled “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think”. Intrigued, I picked it up and somehow found the time to read it. It was the 168 that caught my eye. I, like most people, lived by the 24 hrs in a day mindset. Where was this woman finding all these extra hours?!

There are 168 hours in every week. It wasn’t about finding time to do everything in one day, but finding time throughout a whole week to do all the things we need/want to do. What an eye opener. And yet, it had always seemed like there wasn’t enough time, ever. To do everything I thought I should, or that I wanted to do.

Laura is a proponent of logging your time. It is a bit like having a food diary when on a diet. Rather than write down all the things going into your mouth, you log all the things you do during the day/week. When you sit down and analyze at the end of the week where all your time goes, you begin to understand why you feel there isn’t enough of it.

So, what are we spending our time on? The first time I tried this tracking for a week, it was just like I was going to have to show my food diary to my WW leader. I did everything right. All those things I kept saying I wanted to do but didn’t have time for, I did them. All those little habits that eat up time in my day, dropped them. My time log looked like I could rule the world and still have time for a spa day. Ha!

While I probably have never had as ‘perfect’ a week since, it did show me what I had not been making time for in my life. These days, screens of all kinds, tend to be where we lose our time. I put my feet up after supper, just for a few minutes I tell myself. But the big screen is on and I get sucked into some show, even if I have seen it before, and an hour goes by. That hour could have been used doing anything else. I could have gotten started on that novel I keep saying I want to write, or the new one I want to read. I could have picked up whatever stitchery project I have on the go and gotten a bit more done. But, no, that time has simply evaporated when I finally shake myself back to reality.

While it may not be quite the same for you, that seems to be how my day goes. Time to exercise, no way. Time to sit in front of a screen, yep. Time to read and write, nope. Time to surf the net, definitely. There is as much time as we make available for the things we say we want to do. There are many people who make time for all the things many of us say we want to do. But it means they are not doing some of the things we spend our time on.

It is the same with faith. We only have as much time to grow our faith as we allocate to doing it. Want to spend a few minutes on gratitude each morning? May mean you have to stop hitting the snooze button. Want to read your Bible more, or spend more time in prayer? What will you have to give up for that? I enjoy teasing my neighbour who often says he would like to try going to church more. I remind him he gets up early enough on a Sunday, but would have to give up some of that time he spends tinkering on his car. Haven’t seen him in church yet. It is quite likely you will need to give up time doing something else, to do what you say you want to do.

The question is: Is it worth it? We only get so much time on this earth. How we spend it is important. We don’t have to do grand things. We need only to make ours the best life we can. We need to prioritize ourselves. What things do you want to do that you never seemed to have the time for? Make the time. God wants the best for us. That means, God wants us to be doing things that bring us joy and pleasure. Things that feed and nurture us.

Sure, there will be times when even 168 hours isn’t going to be enough. We all go through those times. But if we manage our time well usually, when those weeks arrive, we have the energy to take them on and get through them. I still take stock of a week every so often. I am certainly not perfect with how I spend my time. But it never fails to lift me up and move me forward when I do find the right balance. I may get that novel out and on paper yet.

But until then, gotta run… So much to do, so little time!

Peace,
Rev. Mary-Jane