Reading Plan:
Ephesians 5


Our Thoughts:
2020 and 2021 have taught us all a great deal about time. As the world came to a screeching halt with the rapid spread of COVID-19, many people found themselves with an unexpected amount of extra time. With public spaces like offices, schools, games, concerts, shopping malls, and what felt like everything else made off-limits, we didn’t know what to do. A friend of mine told me the other day that all the extra time actually made him uncomfortable. He had no idea what to do with himself, and I don’t think he is the only one that felt that way.

Spending day after day running from one appointment to the next left us numb to the rat race of hurry. So, when the hurry and hustle were gone, many of us had no idea how to exist. It was like we actually enjoyed the chaos of a crammed-packed schedule all along. Thankfully, being forced out of that place of unsustainable pace made us slow down long enough to evaluate whether or not our time was being well spent.

I have heard many people comment on how new healthy rhythms were developed out of the season of evaluation. Families made dinner time a priority with each other. Parents let their kids choose one activity to be involved in at a time. People learned that it's okay to say “no.” Unfortunately, I have started to feel the pressures of hurry and hustle creeping back up on me personally. Those new rhythms are beginning to crack under the weight of more opportunities and more expectations.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as the unwise but as the wise, making the best use of your time because the days are evil.”Ephesians 5:16-17.

Time is a currency more precious than any coin, and spending it well is a matter of wisdom. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. Every person has the exact same daily allowance of time. It doesn’t matter your background, upbringing, social standing, or job status. You get the same 24 hours that I do. We have to decide what we are going to do with those valuable hours. Will you look back on today and know that you spent your time wisely in healthy and fulfilling ways? Or will this be another day lost to the race of hurry and hustle?


More Questions:
• When you evaluate your normal daily schedule what are you giving most of your time to? Is that the best use of your 24 hours?
• How can you create healthy rhythms to keep a fulfilling pace in life?


Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for a new day and new opportunities. Every day and every hour is a gift from You and a chance to live out our purpose in You. Help us not to get lost in the hustle of the day, but to live intentionally at the pace you have created us for.


Author: Kyle Warren