| Today, it is hard to open an e-mail newsletter, a | | | | pay more attention to giving our priorities lip service, |
| website, or an offline magazine and not see someone | | | | than we do to finding the strength, determination, |
| talking up the importance of time management. | | | | and integrity toward defining and then honoring any |
| The time management gurus are going out of their | | | | real priorities in our lives. |
| way to teach us how to set priorities in our work | | | | The Christian knows to place his priorities in the order |
| week, how to organize those priorities, and then | | | | of God, spouse, family, job and then finally hobbies. |
| finally stick to our priorities to get more done. I | | | | Yet human nature guides him down the road that |
| applaud their efforts. | | | | lays waste to any priority he may set for himself |
| Yet in all of the dozens of articles that I have read | | | | while in church on Sunday mornings. Most of the |
| that speak of the importance and power of priorities | | | | other religions of the world teach these same |
| in our work day, I have yet to see one person apply | | | | principles as well, and still people of all faiths stumble |
| this principle to our lives outside of our jobs. | | | | down this same road without fail. |
| Let me show you how this is important. There are in | | | | Priorities, like God, require a commitment in our lives. |
| fact 168 hours in a week. Of those 168 hours, we | | | | We must commit ourselves to establishing our |
| spend about 40 of them working, and we spend | | | | priorities and then to meeting them one at a time. |
| about 4 hours a week in transit to and from our | | | | God, of course, should be the number one |
| jobs. As a result, we are spending just over one | | | | commitment you make to yourself. As through God, |
| quarter of our lives taking care of business. | | | | you will find the strength and fortitude to establish |
| We spend approximately another 56 hours each | | | | and meet each of your other priorities in life; priorities |
| week sleeping and another 7 hours grooming | | | | of spouse, family, and job, each in their proper order. |
| ourselves each week. Add to this the 7 hours we | | | | Romans 12:2 NIV |
| spend eating, and we are left with 54 hours in our | | | | Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this |
| week that no one is talking about. | | | | world, but be transformed by the renewing of your |
| I find it truly startling that people fill volumes talking | | | | mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what |
| about how to manage just over 25% of our week, | | | | God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. |
| and completely ignore another 33% of our week | | | | It is not enough to sit in church on Sunday mornings |
| that is left to our free time pursuits. | | | | and pledge to make God the priority in your life. You |
| Most times when I count down these numbers for | | | | must go to the further extreme. You must make a |
| people, they are dumbfounded to realize that they | | | | commitment in your life to make God the number |
| have more free time available to them than they | | | | one priority in your life. And then you must follow |
| spend actually working! Work seems such a prevalent | | | | through on that commitment. Then and only then, will |
| portion of our lives that we fail to realize that we | | | | you find the abilities within yourself to reach beyond |
| have lives beyond work. | | | | what you ever thought you were capable of doing, |
| So let me ask you a question. One third of your life is | | | | to commit yourself to setting priorities in your life, |
| devoted to non-work related activities. What | | | | even outside of the work place, and to follow the |
| priorities have you set for yourself during these 54 | | | | commitment to your priorities with the fulfillment of |
| non-work hours available each week? Okay, now let | | | | your goals. |
| me take that same question one step further. Are | | | | If you do not have God in your life, I encourage you |
| you acting on these priorities each day? If I asked | | | | to meet Him so that you to may experience the joy |
| your children what priorities you have set for your | | | | and fulfillment of the renewing of your mind, as so |
| own life, how would THEY respond? | | | | many of us have experienced. If God is only in your |
| So many people recognize a need to set priorities on | | | | life on Sunday mornings, I encourage you to reach |
| the job. Yet most of these same people fail to place | | | | into your heart, past the lip service that you are |
| priorities on their lives. Why do people recognize the | | | | offering, and finally make the commitment to put |
| need for one and not the other? Some would say | | | | God as the top priority in your life. |
| that the problem is rooted in not having God in their | | | | In conclusion, I applaud each of you who make the |
| lives. But, even that falls far short of the truth. | | | | commitment to manage your time and priorities in |
| Even Christians fall into this same rut. That seems to | | | | the work place. It is my hope that this article has |
| cancel out the argument about a lack of God in our | | | | opened your eyes to the part of your life that is |
| lives. | | | | bigger than work, the 33% of your life that is spent |
| The only argument that bears out in fact is that we | | | | doing non-work related activities. Spend them well. |