If I were to be given a dime each time I hear “I don’t have time” or “if only I could find the time” I am fairly certain I’d accrue a mountainous pile of coins. If I were to also get paid each time someone tells me how busy they are—I might just have enough cash to take an extended vacation on a tropical island somewhere!
Perhaps, I exaggerate just a bit. Although, the point remains that one does not have to venture far to cross paths with another who is either complaining about a busy life or how there is no “time” to do what he or she would like to do, needs to do, or hopes to do.
I’ve been known to cause a few bulging-eye stares, accompanied by open-mouthed gapes when I mention the following to my busy, time-starved acquaintances:
(Note: This obviously does not apply to anyone facing dire, extenuating circumstances that require “above and beyond” time and effort.)
The truth is, all we have is time. In addition to the gift of life itself, we are given “time.” How much time, no one but the good Lord Himself knows; however, our lives on this finite earth are set within its confines.
During a portion of our childhoods, we are completely dependent upon others to determine how we spend time. A game-changer comes into play once we begin to think and do for ourselves. From that point on, we choose how we spend our time. (Now, before any busy person gets riled up and launches into a diatribe regarding all the necessary duties that plague his or her life, requiring “time”—hear me out.)
The bottom line is that there is not much in life we “have” to do. True, choosing not to do certain things has immediate, negative consequences (i.e. no work, no pay, no food, etc…) but in reality, most of what we do, and when we do it, is up to us.
I often challenge my hard-working, time-lacking, busy friends to take good hard looks at their schedules. Most can make changes and adjustments in order to spend time doing many things they claim to not have time to do. It’s a matter of priority. When we find ourselves saying, “I don’t have time to pray,” “I don’t have time to rest,” “I don’t have time to go on a date with my spouse,” or “I don’t have time to enjoy my children” a change in lifestyle may be beckoning.
Have you ever seen a scene in a movie or a frame in a cartoon where a person is opening a closet and a seemingly endless pile of rubble and clutter is plummeting down on top of the one opening the door? It’s a no-brainer. Closet needs to be cleaned. Same goes for lifestyles.
What is it you most often say you don’t have time to do?
Are you sure you don’t have time?
Time is all we have. It’s up to us how we choose to spend it.
Writer Bio
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
