Have You Been Trusting Jesus with Your Time?

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the “time” portion of the Trust Series at my church to have any effect on me. I thought this was going to be a week where my mascara would stay firmly in place instead of running down my cheeks. In fact, I was fairly certain that, as a woman who’s spent quite a few Sundays in church, I knew what was coming.

Why, even if a case of crippling stage fright struck our pastor–no big deal! I could easily mount the stage and teach on the topic myself. I’ve certainly heard enough sermons on time!

But as you can guess, I was wrong. That teaching on time was unlike any I’ve heard from the pulpit, and here are the highlights:

• In order to say yes to wise things, you’re going to have to say no to a lot of good things.
• On our own, we probably won’t be that productive. We need the Spirit to help us make the most of our time.
  
• And does Jesus serve as an auditor, advisor, or the controlling partner on decisions about how you spend your time?

That last question shook me to my core. Undoubtedly, in the last two decades, I have learned to trust Jesus more and more with my time. However, I’ve really just shifted him from an auditor to an advisory role.

But managing partner? Gulp! Managing partners have the final say. They determine the goal, and the most effective way to get it accomplished. When an employee’s to-do list doesn’t jive with the managing partner’s priorities, they’ve got full authority to redirect them.

No matter how productive that employee might be, if they aren’t on track with the manager’s agenda, they aren’t doing their job.

Even better, a good supervisor utilizes the time and strengths of each employee to the advantage of the company. Employees rushing around, unsure of their roles, trying to do it all, don’t make for a strong organization.

Yesterday, I chose to trust Jesus with my time in a petrifying way. I did not write a to-do list, despite my mountainous list of chores and decades long enslavement to to-do lists. I chose instead to say, “Lord, what are we doing today?” And you know what? It was productive.

I weeded and watered. I cooked for 10 and cleaned my home. I worked on my book and had a new chapter ready for my writing group. I mothered and mothered and mothered. But never once did I rush. I did not multi-task, and I did not spin.

Today, I resisted the urge to read a book or work on a crossword puzzle as I ate lunch. As scary as it was, I brought my meal to the table with nothing else in my hands. While deliberately savoring each bite of pasta, I thanked God for chicken and for sunshine through the dining-room windows. I took the time to admire the verdant yard, lush after a rare summer of rain.

Today, through my dining-room window, I glimpsed a bluebird on the fence.

I also drove the speed limit down the three-mile stretch of my residential road, and I did not check my voicemails or use voice-to-text to write emails. I didn’t even pluck my eyebrows or turn on the radio. Instead, I noticed something. A flutter of dime-sized shadows darted over my windshield. Then another. Then another. Butterflies!

Dozens of small, orange creatures. Then hundreds. Burst after burst of tissue paper wings skittering around my car, all flowing in the same direction. My street flooded with a wave of monarch butterflies.

Today, alone in my car, I laughed aloud in pure joy and wonder. I gasped out a thank you to Jesus for His wondrous grace and ability to get me to slow down and readjust what filled my time.

Now I ask… what are you missing with Jesus?