I don’t have time

I don’t have time.

I say those words a lot, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with them. All of us have to make choices with our time.

I think the issue is what we say those words about. And whom we say them to.

Paul addresses the principle here:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16).

How we spend our time reflects our priorities.

“I don’t have enough time” is really saying that we’ve got something else to do that’s more important. Again, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but we ought to recognize what we’re saying.

When I tell my son I don’t have time to play ball with him, what I’m really saying is that I’m choosing to do something else.

If we don’t take time to work on our marriages, or read and pray, or attend church services, it really isn’t that we don’t have time.

It’s a matter of priorities.

This week, ask God to help you look at your time. Ask him to convict you of those time leaks that are stealing from more important things. Ask him to give you the wisdom to say “yes” to what really counts and “no” to everything else.

He’s giving you 24 hours today, and you’ll make dozens of choices concerning what to do with them.

Maybe you’ve got chores to do, or some work to catch up on, or some reading for a test, but somewhere in there is some negotiable time—time that’ll point out your priorities.

It might be you need to use some of that time to be with your spouse.

Maybe you need to play with your kids.

Perhaps some time to commune with the Lord.

One day.

Twenty-four hours.

One thousand four hundred forty minutes.

May God be glorified in our time today.

—Chuck