"Sound Effects: rummaging through drawers
Woman: Now I know I saw those batteries somewhere!
Child: There they are mommy
Woman: No, daddy said those aren’t any good. Augh! This clutter gets me so frustrated!
Clutter. Its one of the leading causes of depression. Its also a terrible waste of time.
Here’s how author Emily Barnes suggests dealing with clutter:
Walk though your house with three large trash bags. Label them Put Away, Throw Away, and Give Away. Beginning with your closets put loose items into one of the three bags. The put away bag is for things you legitimately need to keep. Put them where they’re supposed to go. The throw away bag includes scrap materials, old magazines, and broken things you know you’ll never repair. The give away bag is for things you haven’t used in the past year, but could still be used by someone else. As soon as you’re done give it to a Christian thrift store.
Conquering clutter creates a healthier and more productive living environment and that helps us redeem the time.
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"Two fleas were at the bottom of a hill. One said to the other, “Shall we walk or take the dog?”
Life is full of choices. Big and little choices. By the end of your day today you will have made hundreds of choices. The solid tie or the striped one, chocolate or vanilla, lunch with Bob or Ted.
With all those decisions to make, its important to have some way to determine God’s will in every decision, no matter how small. We do this by principle centered living.
Most people make decisions based on the urgency of the moment, the expectations of others, doing what we are comfortable with, or just whatever happens without really even thinking about it. Principle centered decision making on the other hand looks for God’s will in the little things as well as the big things and tries to find a principle from Scripture that will guide us down the path of greater effectiveness.
Applying broad scriptural principles such as character development, humility, and a servant’s heart has far reaching impact to guide us and help us redeem the time.
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"Someone said, “I wish I could stand on a busy corner and beg people to give me all their wasted hours.” What a profound thought that is!
Time management experts generally agree that most people will waste at least two hours each day. But, the saddest part is that most people either don’t seem to realize how much time they waste or they just don’t seem to care.
As Christians, God calls us to a higher standard when it comes to using our time. We are accountable to Him. He commands us to redeem the time, that is, to apply each moment to its greatest possible use for His honor and glory. Even if they wanted to, none of those people on the street corner could give you any of their wasted time. Only God can give us time. And only we can make sure we redeem the time.
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"How often have you started your day by counting through the Boeing numbers? Just like the Boeing airplanes your effort to get up starts at 727. But you hit the snooze till 737, 10 more minutes and its a 747? Till finally about 757 you jump out of bed, you rush out the door late for work not spending time with the Lord.
Did you know Scripture has a specific caution against snooze buttons? Proverbs 26:14 says as the door turneth upon its hinges so does the slothful man upon his bed. What an accurate picture of wasting time rolling back and forth in a wrestling match with our sheets. Tomorrow morning break the snooze habit. When the clock goes off, go ahead and get up, because up is where you’ve already determined you need to be if you are going to redeem the time.
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