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Seed Thoughts

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// LYNETTE HAGIN

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be Like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." -Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

 

September is the start of the year in our household. I am sure the same occurs with many whose children begin their school year in September. After celebrating Labor Day weekend—which means the end of summer break and the beginning of a year packed full of projects and activities—my mind can go tilt.

Have you ever awakened in the morning and dreaded getting up because of everything that lies ahead of you? Have you been tempted to stay in bed simply because you had too much to do and decided the best solution was to do nothing at all?

Do you ever go through the day in neutral, never quite getting into gear? Just thinking about all of my responsibilities and commitments for the day can fatigue me. Sometimes I get frustrated because I've agreed to do something I should have said no to, all because I didn't want to hurt the person's feelings.

I've often committed to something that I thought I would have the time to do. But when the time came for the job to be accomplished, all of a sudden my calendar become full of unexpected emergencies. I found myself burning the midnight oil to get the task accomplished.

Then I find that I'm grumbling to myself, grumbling to my husband, being cranky with everyone I come in contact with, and thinking that it would be great to have one day where I could get caught up, organized, and rested without any interruptions!

Regardless of our age or stage in life, time management is a very essential element. One person said, "Time management? You must be crazy. I don't need that. I don't have any time of my own to manage. Everybody else has a piece of it, and there's nothing left for me!"

Sometimes I feel like a baseball player. The day delivers a hard, fast pitch. It curves into my life. I bunt and begin to dash from place to place. Out of breath, I skid between this and that. At the end of the day, nearly falling down, I slide into home.

Many times I don't want to look at what I have to do the next day, much less the next week or month. Sometimes I feel literally breathless as I go from one project to another. Maybe you've felt as I have—if breathing took any time out of my day it would have to be eliminated!

Many years ago the above thoughts were constantly in my mind. I would often console myself by saying, "Let's get through this year. Next year will be slower." Every year I would say this until finally I realized that life was not getting slower. It was speeding up. I knew if I didn't do something, I was going to live a very stressful and miserable life.

God does not want us to live that kind of life. He told us in Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT) " 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.' "

The Lord is ready, willing, and able to get our lives and our time under control. The tough news is that we must choose to implement the advice He gave us in His Word. God will not force us to organize our time according to His will. He has given us the power of choice. So in this column and in next month's column, I want to share some things the Lord gave me at a very frustrating time in my life.

The steps He spoke to me have been a guideline for my life ever since. I follow them on a daily basis. They have allowed me to have peace in the midst of a very busy schedule.

Step One—Pray About Every Single Thing
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take" (Prov. 3:5–6 NLT).
Begin practicing this step this month. Next month, I will continue sharing the principles the Lord gave me