Timely Counsel

By Belinda

Susan brought the slim volume back from a conference after standing before a book display and praying for God to show her the book that was meant for me. When her eyes fell on the book, Life by the Hour by Tim Schroeder, she knew that was the one.

I never give up trying to do better in stewarding the precious resource of time. Tim's book is in my bathroom, and I've been reading it in short snippets--more like "life in 5 minute increments" than the hour, but I have been enjoying the book and found so far that he has a refreshing perspective on  time.

Then yesterday I got to the end of a chapter and a sentence struck me--hard, as such a practical word of wisdom that I wrote it into my day-timer. It felt like rocket fuel for my life, with the power to invigorate the minutes and hours of my day.

It actually was the first in a list of points to think about, all of which were good.
This is the sentence:
"Is there anything in the activity of the next hour that can help me get where I believe I need to go?"
Maybe you're reading this and thinking, "That's it?" Well, it acts like a shot in the arm for me. Thinking about that sentence galvanizes me and focuses me on considering my true goals, hour to hour:
Having a clean house
Physical fitness
Preparing ahead for a meal
At work: my longer term projects

I am often daunted, thinking that I don't have enough time for a particular big task, but thinking about what I can fit into the next hour towards a goal--that I can do.

This sentence reminds me that I have goals, which gets me off the couch--I can surely do anything for part of an hour!

Added to this is the audio book by Stephen R. Covey, that I borrowed from the library: First Things First. It was so inspiring that I am listening to it for the second time and actually bought the book so that I can read it and highlight it. It too, is different in approach to considering time--not so linear; not about working harder, smarter and faster, but a deeply integrated and spiritual perspective on time, based on living from a base of principles.

I'm thankful for the blessing of life and time; thankful for those who share their wisdom by writing it down; and thankful for friends who stand in front of book displays and pray.

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