September Newsletter: First Things First

Dear Friends,
Below is my column for the September 2009 Monroe City/Mt. Vernon United Methodist Churches newsletter. Like many of my columns, the advice given here is "easier said than done". But with time, determination, and prayer, we know that all things are possible with God.
Grace and Peace,
Clayton
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From Your Pastor…
I recently told some folks, “I think the earth is rotating faster than it used to.” That’s not true of course. Without peeking in any scientific journals or encyclopedias, I think it is safe to say that the speed of the earth’s rotation has not changed significantly (if any) during my lifetime. Yet the earth’s rotation seems to have sped up. Where did the summer go? How can it be Fall already? Wasn’t the Fourth of July just a few weeks ago?

For many of us, time does seem to go by faster as we grow older. Why? Some people would say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” But what about the folks who aren’t having fun? I’ve also heard it said, “The days are long, but the years are short.” That may be true for busy parents, but what about prisoners sitting in their cells?
I’m sure we could spend all day sitting around trying to figure out why time seems to fly by, but wouldn’t that be a waste of time? Perhaps we’re better off figuring out how to best use the time we have. After all, time is a gift from God. And just like God’s other gifts (money, talents, service), we need to be wise stewards/managers of the time God has given us.

Dr. Stephen Covey is often considered a leader in time management. Covey has authored several best selling books including: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First, and The Eighth Habit. Covey is also the co-founder of FranklinCovey, a company which sells day planners, calendars, storage binders, computer software, computer bags, and other items to help organize your stuff. They also offer workshops, webinars, and private consulting to help organize your life.

Although I don’t consider myself a disciple of Stephen Covey, I have learned a bit from his books and workshops. I also use some of his planner products. Of all that I’ve learned from Covey, two things in particular stand out.

1. Our lives should be driven by things that are important rather than things that are urgent.
2. Instead of prioritizing our schedule, we should schedule our priorities.

On a typical day, I start off by making a to-do list. Then I go about my work, sometimes hurrying from one thing to another, trying to squeeze everything in. Some tasks take longer than expected, and I end up not having time for other things. At the end of the day I look back at my to-do list and see if I got everything done. Some things on my list aren’t really important and it doesn’t matter if I don’t get them done right away. But when a day goes by when I haven’t read my Bible or taken time for prayer, that’s when I know I haven’t managed my time well. I didn’t schedule my priorities (Bible reading and prayer) and I let the tasks which seemed urgent crowd out the tasks that are not only important but necessary for my Christian walk. As Stephen Covey would say, I didn’t put “first things first.”

Does this ever happen to any of you? I won’t ask for a show of hands, but I expect many of you have similar experiences. For most of us, managing our time isn’t easy. It takes effort and practice. I’m still practicing, and maybe one day I’ll get everything in order. Until then, I continually ask God to show me how I to live my life.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psalm 25. I especially like verses 4 and 5 which read:

Lord, tell me your ways. Show me how to live.
Guide me in your truth, and teach me, my God, my Savior.
(Ps. 25:4-5a, NCV)

Whether or not you have problems managing your time, why not join me in praying these words: “Lord, show me how to live.” I’m sure we could all use God’s guidance and direction in our lives as time flies by!