I grew up in the era when clothes were actually ironed and was always intrigued when Mom would take a wet, wrinkled garment and, with the combination of the iron’s heat and her pressure, transform the garment from an unacceptable to a wearable condition. Wanting to follow her model, I would ask to “help.” She first taught me how to iron her embroidered dishtowels. One set of seven towels provided the time management guidelines for her week—wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday, mend on Wednesday, clean on Thursday, shop on Friday, cook on Saturday, and worship on Sunday. More importantly than the ironing skill Mom imparted, her time management skills challenged me to be excited about integrating them into my life. Though I am a Certified Family and Consumer Scientist by education and profession, I learned the “how tos” of time management by assimilating what she modeled.
Mary and Martha, significant women who impact our Christian faith, offer a clear portrait of time management and its application to the home. When you think of the Luke 10:38-42 description of Mary and Martha at first glance it appears that Martha’s active, extroverted personality casts her into the light of an incredible time manager. Thinking and acting quickly, she welcomed Jesus and His disciples into her home (10:38). She definitely got things done and made things happen (10:40), both qualities of an individual possessing exceptional time management skills. The passage also communicates that Martha is a reactor—rather than asking Mary to assist her, she voiced her frustration to her guest of honor (10:40). How often do we react rather than stepping back from the situation and thinking through a biblical response to the situation? Martha offers a positive model in her time management skills and a poor model in her reaction to people she loves.
Mary, in contrast to this hurricane of hyperactivity, took advantage of her ability to spend time with her Lord, so that she would be better prepared to serve Him effectively. Her heart told her that her time with Him was limited, and she wanted to maximize it. There would be plenty of time for tasks later. Luke 10:39 portrays Mary as sitting at Jesus’ feet and absorbing His teaching.
Mary and Martha teach us two ways of managing time. Less we totally discredit Martha, we must acknowledge that her time management style clearly got things done and made things happen. A question to ask, however, is “what were the eternal benefits of Martha’s activities?” Perhaps if she had been willing to sit with Mary both then could have served together, thus maximizing their time.
I began this post with the Time Management Guidelines embroidered on my Mother’s dishtowels. May I encourage you to use the “Spiritual Time Management Guidelines” as a foundation for creating your own? Oh, and by the way, my Mother’s name was Mary. She daily modeled extraordinary time management skills!
SPIRITUAL TIME MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
Monday—Wash Day
Lord, please cleanse me from pride so that I may serve you with perfect humility throughout the week (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).
Tuesday— Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me to be willing to allow you to use the heat, steam, and pressure of your iron to remove the wrinkles of prejudice I tend to collect so that I may see the beauty in others (James 2:1-13).
Wednesday—Mending Day
Dear heavenly Father, please help me mend my ways so I will model effective time management skills for others (Mark 10:44-45; 1 Cor. 11:1).
Thursday— Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out the many faults I am hiding in the secret corners of my heart (Ps. 19:12, 1 John 1:8-9).
Friday —Shopping Day
Gracious heavenly Father, please give me your grace to shop wisely so that I will perceive that my purchases are “good” (Prov. 31:18, 27).
Saturday—Cooking Day
Strengthen me, my Savior, so I may simmer a large crock pot of brotherly love and bake a loaf of the sweet bread of human kindness to serve with it (Col. 3:12-17; Heb. 13:1-2).
Sunday— The Lord's Day
Loving heavenly Father, I have used my time management skills to prepare my earthly home for You and those who enter it. Please cleanse my heart so that it is daily an appropriate dwelling place for You (Ps. 139; 2 Tim. 2:21).
Kelsey’s Korner provides timely tips that will assist you in managing your time rather than it managing you!
KELSEY’S KORNER
Have you ever had the dream where you’re trying to run but your legs just don’t seem to work? Despite your exertion and determination, your feet feel numb, as if they are stuck in thick, heavy mud. With each strenuous moment, the realization and dread that you can’t move only fuels your paralysis. Unsurprisingly, these dreams are not typically described as fun!
Recently, this stuck-in-mud sensation has followed me out of my dreams. Time, it feels, is encased around my legs, keeping me from moving forward. Regardless of my best efforts to accomplish all my daily tasks, I feel like I’m crawling at half my normal speed (and accomplishing half as much, too!). Can you relate to this feeling?
With so much to do and so little time, I’ve had to stop, take a breath, and assess my situation. How do I get out of “the mud?” How to I accomplish in a day everything that needs to be accomplished? Here are the key tips that help me break free from the muddy mires of time:
Take time to assess and plan.
As counterintuitive as it may appear, when we are overwhelmed and held down by all the “things” we need to do, the best tactic is to stop, take a breath, sit down, pray, asses, and plan. Write down everything that needs to be accomplished for the day, the week, the month, and long-term. Keep this list updated, ready for additions, and the oh-so-satisfying checks of completion. I keep this list on my phone in Notes, but there are several great organizer apps available as well.
Prioritize based on importance.
Once you’ve created your list of items and organized them by time frame, select the most pressing items to do first. This may seem obvious, but one temptation I often run into is choosing the fun items from my list first, leaving the monotonous or difficult items for “later.” Those less appealing items then stay on my list indefinitely, waiting for whenever “later” may be.
Plan time to do the basics.
Schedule times to read your Bible, check emails, eat lunch, and even to rest! During extremely busy seasons of life, if these basic essentials are not prioritized, they will fall by the wayside.
Lay it all before the Lord.
Once you have planned everything, give it to the Lord in prayer. Ultimately, the Lord is in control of our plans (Prov. 16:9). We must learn to hold everything loosely and be OK with interruptions, especially if interruptions help us serve the Lord (such as hosting a new family at your church for a spur-the-moment lunch!)
Don’t feel guilty when you have to say “no”!
As much as we would like to do it all, we simply cannot. When we learn to say “no,” we acknowledge that there is One who can do all things, and we are not Him. The main way to truly get out of “the mud” is to recognize our limitations and only set out to accomplish what we can feasibly do. Ask the Lord for wisdom when deciding which items to accept and which to pass up.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and exhausted from your ever-growing to-do list, you are not alone. But there is compassion and rest in the Lord! Instead of allowing time to entangle our legs and impede our progress, join with me as I learn to trust the Lord with my time. Let’s choose to work heartily as unto the Lord, and not for man (Col. 3:23-24), and rest in the assurance that God will grant us the strength and endurance to break free from the mud.
THE EVERYDAY HOMEMAKER’S MONTHLY MEDITATION THOUGHT
God’s Word states, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” (Prov. 16:9)
Therefore, I may boldly say, “Ultimately, the Lord is in control of my plans. Therefore, I must learn to hold everything loosely!”
You might enjoy other of our Home Management related Posts:
“Do Your Summer Projects Include a Purging Party?”
“Do You Have the Techniques to Combat Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Fatigue?”
“Do You Have the Heart of a Servant?”
“Do You Permit Your Life Priorities to Take a Summer Vacation?”
“Is Your Home Propelled by Adrenalin or Spiritual Vitality?”
Blessings on your day as you focus on making your house a home!