The Gift of Time

We can recognize that the determination of how we spend our time can be submitted to the One who has made that time available. Psalm 31 states:
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake.

Our days here on earth are a gift from God, in order that we may come to know Him and do His will. We also recognize we are temporary residents of this world, and we will be with Jesus in a wonderful world to come, the place He is preparing for us.  So, while we await our time in eternity in heaven, we have a purpose here on this earth, and God has ordained for us to have a finite amount of time in order to experience His goodness and faithfulness and accomplish what He has given us to do here. So, we have to use our time effectively.

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God has given us many wonderful gifts, including the days that we have here on this earth - time to be used for His glory. In Ephesians chapter 5, we read these words:
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Another translation (ESV) uses the phrase in verse 16, "making the best use of the time."

Every day, we have been given a precious gift - 24 hours a day, 1440 minutes - each and every day. As the Broadway song says, there are "Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes" every year.  The song explores how you measure that.

Well, we can regard the time we have each day as a gift.  Certainly, there are times for rest, relaxation, and recreation.  We can also think about how much time we waste, when God might have other plans. And, we have to make sure we are doing the right things, and not being overcommitted, to the extent that we miss out on God's best.

The arena of time management can present specific challenges, and according to a recent survey, even those who serve in spiritual leadership are having issues with managing their time. The Lifeway Research website states:

In their personal lives, half of U.S. Protestant pastors say they need to focus on time management, and more than half say avoiding over-commitment is a challenge for them, according to the latest release in the Greatest Needs of Pastors study from Lifeway Research.

According to that recent study, "time management" is the #1 aspect of a pastors' personal life that would "need attention," with 51% of respondents mentioning it. That's more than children, at 29%, or marriage, at 26%.  18% indicated they needed to pay attention to "financial stress."  30% of Protestant pastors said time management was the "single greatest need in their personal lives."

Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said, “Pastors were not being asked if these areas of personal life matter. They were asked to indicate those areas that need additional focus today,” adding, “Nowhere is it more likely than personal life, for a need to emerge for a pastor because they are giving attention elsewhere. There are only so many hours to split between work and home, and finding the right balance is important.”

The most challenging aspect of self-care for pastors who responded to the survey is "consistently exercising." The survey summary states: 

More than half of pastors say they find consistently exercising (59%) and avoiding over-commitment and overwork (55%) to be challenging in their ministry. Slightly less than half say they struggle with eating right (49%), taking time away from their job for hobbies or other interests (47%) and consistently resting (45%)...

McConnell says that pastors are "quick to prioritize ministry needs ahead of their own." He also stated, "Among categories that need attention today, almost two-thirds of pastors put skills, people or ministry difficulties ahead of their own self-care. Constantly working from a physical deficit is not a sustainable formula for pastoral ministry.”

I think this study and the report on it can cause us to remember the intense pressures that our pastors and church leaders are under.  They are certainly pulled in a number of different directions, facing a variety of expectations.  This is a great time to mention the work of Energize Ministries, which emphasizes prayer for pastors, as well as providing time away in a retreat setting for those who are in need of it.  We can empathize with our leaders as they attempt to manage their time.
 

And, I would say that this issue is not specific to pastors and our church and ministry leaders.  We have been given the gift of time, and the Holy Spirit can direct us in being a good steward of this precious gift God has given to us.  We could always stand to evaluate how we are spending our time. 

We have to guard against being so involved in doing the "work" of the Lord that we wear ourselves out, to the extent that we're no longer effective for Him.  Even in our charitable activities, we might be involved so much in helping to meet the needs of others that it comes at the expense of ourselves.  That doesn't mean that we are to become self-centered or self-consumed.  But, we can engage in taking care of ourselves so that it prepares and releases us to be able to minister to others.