Time

Hurry up, we're going to be late!  Let me check my calendar and see if I have time that day to meet with you!  We need to watch the clock!  How much longer do you think we'll be?  I can't believe how long I have to wait in the Dr.'s office.  It will  happen when the time is right.  How long till we get there, Mom? There is only so much time in a day. One day at a time.  Time is on my side.  Time heals all.

All of these phrases we've said or heard, sometimes on a daily basis, and sometimes more than once in a day.  Moms, and women in general,  are known to be great at multitasking.  We live in a society that is bonded to time and there is an underlying current of belief that "there is never enough time in the day".  All of us, at some level are addicted to the man-made concept of time.  We wear watches,  we have several clocks in our homes, our cars have clocks in them,  our phones keep time, and our computers give us the time.  We are squeezing out minutes from our day every chance we get just to get one more thing done.  Not only are we clock-driven, but we have a need to be as productive as possible with the amount of time we have.  That is why a mom can cook breakfast, talk to someone on the phone, pack a lunch, and load up the dishwasher all at the same time.  It sounds exhausting, but every mom has this "gift".

The belief that there is never enough time in the day is what drives us, and despite that belief, we don't stop adding things to our to-do-lists, we say yes to just one more committee, or we sign up our kids for just one more activity.  The thought that there is never enough time in the day goes completely against the core of who we are.  Time is a physical concept, not a spiritual concept.  God didn't create time.  Humans did.  The only concept of time that is of the spiritual nature is "now".  It is this moment.  With God, time is eternal.  We can only be in the present moment.  The past is already done.  We haven't experienced the future.  With this concept,  there is an abundance of time.  It is a societal belief that we never have enough time to do the things we need to do, or want to do.

If we really look at our days,  we always seem to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.  We pay attention to the things and people that need our attention, and the all the rest can wait.  As mothers, women, and human beings, in general, it is soooo easy to get overwhelmed.  Our lists are long, the needs are many, and the tasks that have to happen seem to keep multiplying.  The first thing that has to happen to overcome our belief that there is never enough time, is to first stop saying it, to ourselves, or anyone else.  The second thing that has to be done is to change our minds about our lack of time, and start to believe in our abundance of time.  It is a huge mindshift because when you start to believe in the abundance of time, it can feel like a very lonely place to be because everyone else around you, stranger and friend, is saying something different.  Because we only have to be present to this moment, time naturally multiplies all on its own. 

We really don't have to live stressed out about time.  We can choose to let the "eternal now" support us and flow through us, assisting us and aiding us in all we must accomplish.  When I feel stressed or overwhelmed about how much I have to do and the time I have to do it in,  I first stop my thinking.  I literally stop my mind.
I use one of my "spiritual anchors" to quiet my thoughts about time from overwhelming me.  Be still and know that I am God is my "spiritual anchor" when it comes to keeping my boat afloat and safe from the stormy waters of my thinking that threaten to drown me.  I repeat that "anchor" again and again and remember that there is always enough time, always enough help from God, always enough assistance from higher realms to get done whatever it is I need to get done, not necessarily what it is that I want to get done.  When I quiet my mind, and release my feelings of being overwhelmed, I am brought back to my Center, my "true nature", and I remember that there is always enough time, enough money, and enough resources to accomplish what needs to be accomplished in this moment, and in the next moment.

For mothers, time can seem to go fast and slow all at once.  As we are in the trenches of raising children, it can feel like an eternity till they walk or get potty trained, and then we wonder where the time has gone as we walk them to school on their first day of kindergarten.  As we attend the funeral of an elderly person, it is easy to wonder how 96 years can go by in a blink.  Just ask someone who has a terminal illness how they perceive time.  The key is perception.  We tend to make our perception of time our "truth".

The concept of man-made time does force us to set priorities and live with intention.  Every morning, we get another 24 hours to make a difference in our family's lives and the lives of our "neighbor", here or even across the globe.  How we choose to use our time is a big responsibility.  Sometimes, I have to ask myself, Is it more important that I play a game with my child or vacuum the living room floor.  Is it more important that I am fully present to my spouse or fully present to my blackberry?  Will I use my time today to spread love or fear?   When I think about using my time with "intention",  there are some things that must happen in a day.  I must pray with my children and my spouse in the morning.  I will give 10 minutes to that.  I will read to my children at night.  I will give 20 minutes of my day to that.  I will spend time "debriefing" with my husband and just "being" with each other, our full attention given to each other, either after the kids go to bed or early in the morning when everyone is "out the door" and before the rest of the day hits.

If you really want to know where your time goes,  spend 2 or three days writing down everything you've done, everything, not just what you think is important.  It is important to get an accurate and real account of how you're using your time.  That includes television, facebooking, emailing, blackberrying, surfing the internet, and everything else under the sun.  It is no surprise that one of the biggest time consumers is technology.  I, for one, love to unwind with the television.  But if I get real about it, I can lose 3 sometimes 4 hours in it, especially late at night.  When the prospect of writing my book came up, and I started to look for ways to build up more time in my day,  I found time by giving up a couple of hours at night watching television.  You will be surprised how much you can get done in a couple of hours.  I turned twenty minutes of waiting in the van to pick up Clare at school into 20 extra minutes to jot down another paragraph.  20 minutes five days a week adds up.  Two hours of free babysitting at the Y helps.  I work out for one hour and use the next hour to write.  In five days, I've gained 5 more hours to write.

The phrase time is money and money is time becomes very apparent when you are raising children.  As a pastor's wife, I've talked to younger families who may not be able to give as much money as they want to their place of worship, but they can give their time. When you start to look at time and money, and how it is spent, because both are "spent and invested" in something,  you can't help but become keenly aware of what your priorities are in life, or even a country's priorities are.  Think about how much time and money are spent on football stadiums and watching football games.  Many of us, this Cornhusker fan included, think nothing of spending 3-4 hours watching two teams play football every week.  But have I considered spending 3 or 4 hours every week serving in a homeless shelter or working to eradicate poverty, or giving the money I would have spent on tickets to a father of a family who has just lost his job?  Think of all the hours spent building the stadium while, at the same time, a homeless person standing on the same street as the stadium that is being  built asks for a meal, a ride, or a hand-out.  Or the school just a mile away from the stadium is run-down, in need of new playground equipment, let alone more classrooms for smaller class sizes, and more money to hire teachers. You can tell very quickly what a person, a group of people, or a family values according to how they spend their time and money.


Time is a powerful thing.  It is an investment. It is another power that God has given us dominion over.  It is a gift from our God, the Creator of All Abundance.  There is enough time to create the miracles we need in our homes, our communities, and our world.  There is enough time to accomplish what is ours to accomplish and what is God's to accomplish.  There is enough time to get done what we really need to get done, and what we want to get done.  We've all heard the verse Where your heart is, there is your treasure.  We give our time according to the directions of our heart.  In other words, how we spend our time starts with our heart's intentions.  That verse might also read Where I spend my time, is where my heart's treasure is.

Sometimes it only takes a second of time to make a difference in someone's life.  A smile takes a second.  A compliment takes a few seconds of thought, and another few seconds to give it.  A hug takes a second.  A note of encouragement jotted down on a post-it-note and put on someone's desk takes a second. 

If you believe that God's timing is perfect, then even time is for us, never against us, just like scripture proclaims that God is for us, therefore, who can be against us? If we are using our time in the service of those in need, no matter where we are, more time is added unto me.   Time is something we can either stress over, or rejoice over.  As we go through our day, especially as moms, it is important to remember all that we did get done and stop focusing on all that we didn't get done, because in God's perfect time and way, it always gets done.  What we focus on, and give our energy to, expands. So if we're always focused on a lack of time, we only see more lack of time. 

The next time you get a chance, bring your to do list to prayer.  What on that list is yours to accomplish, and what can you turn over to God, and trust that it will get done in His perfect time?  Ask God to turn your lack to abundance, and to accomplish what you can't.  Ask God for the wisdom and courage to say "No" when you can't and "Yes" when you can.  Both responses are positive, worthy, and filled with integrity.  Guilt has no place in our thoughts and feelings.  Don't believe in guilt.  Don't give guilt any energy.  It is not of God.  When you feel overwhelmed,  quiet your mind.  Stop your thinking, and know that God wants you to ask and receive what you need, even time.