There just aren't enough hours in my day to do everything that needs to be tackled. Wait a minute. God created 24 hours in a day. He knows what I need to do. Perhaps the problem isn't that I don't have enough hours. The problem is that I'm not using the hours wisely.

I recently met with a successful businessman for advice on how to develop MARKINC Ministries. I expected him to help me tweak our vision statement or establish goals. Instead, he started our meeting with an outline of how he imagines I spend the 168 hours God gives me every week. He included getting dressed, eating, sleeping, attending church, etc. He didn't include recreation, taking a daily nap, or anything fun. According to his conclusions, which were pretty accurate, by the time I lived a normal life, I have only a few hours left over every week for my husband and grandchildren. And even then, he had not included everything else I do.

He challenged me to realize that in order to accomplish even a small part of my ministry goals, I had to steal from the priorities I say are important.

His chart began to give me a way to understand why I live in a world of self-imposed guilt and a sense that I constantly fall short of meeting God's expectations, let alone the expectations of others. No one could accomplish my to do list and have any kind of healthy, deep relationships. Something has to give.

168 hours...How are you investing your precious time? Do you regularly steal from the important in order to react to the urgent?

In His Grip,
Sharon