Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to. Case in point: maybe you didn’t get the raise you were promised. Or maybe someone skipped in front of you in the line at McDonald’s.
Or how about this: maybe the supposed “marital bliss” that you’d always dreamt of turned out to be anything but. Big or small, life can throw us some rather unexpected curveballs from time to time.
One thing it shouldn’t take any of us too long to learn is that life isn’t fair. As a matter of fact, I can remember vividly my Dad telling me over and over when I was growing up, “Life isn’t fair, son. You’ve just got to deal with it.” Turns out he was incredibly right.
Some people are born with a silver spoon, others with a glass ceiling. Some people seem to turn everything to gold no matter what they venture to do, others can never quite catch a break. There’s one thing, however, that stands as the great equalizer, the fairest of all allocations, and that is the amount of time in a day. From billionaires on Wall St. to the homeless people around the world, from the most talented individuals to the most incompetent, they all share this one thing in common: there’s only 24 hours in a day.
When we put it in this light, the notion of time management should become pretty significant. The Bible makes it very clear that we are to use our time wisely. The Apostle Paul says to, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time.” (Eph. 5:15-16) He says elsewhere to, “Walk in wisdom…making the best use of the time.” (Col. 4:5) His point is simple—our days here are numbered, so the time for believing the gospel and living out our faith is now!
Let me encourage you to take control of the time that God has given you. Spend it wisely. Don’t let it sneak up on you and become your master, telling you what to do and when to do it. Prioritize and even schedule the most important things. One writer has said, “In most cases a schedule is more liberating than restricting.”[1] How true that is!
Make sure to take time to nurture you faith. Read the Bible and spend time in prayer—even if you have to schedule these things in. Don’t leave them undone. Make sure also to care for and love your family and friends. Usually, God reserves his greatest ministries for our lives to the people that we’re closest to. Use the 24 hours that God gives you afresh everyday to glorify him.
