Shopping for Time--Part II

My previous post dedicated to the helpful little book, "Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed" by Caroyln Mahaney and her 3 girls, was more-or-less focused on making time with God our first priority. This one will summarize some of the parts I was most affected by from the second half. I hope you are encouraged and challenged as I have been.
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They suggest having a daily planning system in place--one that best suits you and your style. The important thing is that you plan. Consider the 15:4 rule: take 15 minutes before you start to think through your tasks and their importance, and you will make much better use of the next 4 hours than if you went in without a plan. How true!

I have found this to especially be helpful in the area of food purchasing and preparation. There is nothing I despise more than having to go to the grocery store more than necessary--especially on the weekend! UGH. What's been working the best for me in this season is planning a week's worth of dinners and making my grocery list from it on Monday, cleaning out my refrigerator on Tuesday, and grocery shopping on Wednesday.

I also try to follow a general housekeeping schedule each week. Breaking the list down into manageable segments and being purposeful about what my load is on certain days of the week has really helped. Some chores I can easily do when Natalia is awake--others, not so much. Some need to happen early in the week; others towards the end when we may have guests visit. Also, scheduling 1 or 2 chores during her naptime, and doing them before the things I'd rather do, has kept me more accountable. Now, do I do all of this faithfully? No. But it's a start.


Another thing this book encouraged me to consider was how I perceive the daily interruptions to My Plan. Don't we tend to view them as unpleasant disruptions to our "real life", when in fact, the concept of our "real life" is a figment of our imagination? "All the interruptions--they aren't interruptions after all. They are sovereign deliveries. The unpleasant things are God's perfect plan for our day...even when our schedule has gone off track and our to-do list remains unfinished...This is the day that the Lord has made. And he's orchestrated every unpleasant interruption--um, sovereign delivery--for our good."


They also go on to say that in the midst of busy seasons, when the interruptions seem to flow at a constant rate, three simple principles can help us navigate the choppy waters:

1. 'Separate the really-do-matter items from the really-don't-matter items. For example, consider these three priorities before anything else: (A) Our husband: "What one thing would please him the most?" (B) Our children: "What one issue in my child's life needs consistent attention?" (C) Our food and laundry: "Regardless of how dirty my house is, or how many piles of clutter have accumulated, or whether or not the beds are made--as long as my family has nourishing food to eat and clean clothes to wear, their basic needs will be taken care of."

2. Simplify the really-do-matter items where possible.

3. Size up our limitations. "Only God gets his to-do list done each day. We are not God. We are finite creatures with serious limitations." [Quote by C.J. Mahaney] Only God accomplishes everything he needs to do, in exactly the way he intends, in precisely the right amount of time. Only God! This truth helps us see the arrogant absurdity of expecting to complete our own to-do list. It frees us to humble ourselves and draw upon God's strength to simply do what we can in busy seasons.'


Finally, plan to depend on God. Here is a quote they included from Charles Bridges that explains how this works out in everyday life:

"Take one step at a time, every step under Divine warrant and direction. Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without his counsel. He loves to be consulted."

Scripture tells me that I am dependent on God to draw my very breath! Lord, help me to mortify the thought that I am sufficient to go about even the elementary tasks of my day on my own strength and wisdom. Help me to abandon self-effort. You alone are my strength and my sufficiency!