"A visiting relative asked a 5 year old girl, “What are you going to do when you get to be as big as your mother?” The child replied, “Go on a diet!”
Asking young children about their future is usually a good practice. Telling them what they are good at and giving them a vision of what God might want them to become is even better.
Many who have become successful missionaries, pastors, or other leaders, can trace their calling back to a time early in their life when someone said “You’d sure make a good…” By giving children a vision, we also give them a purpose and a reference point for using their time in the days of their youth. That’s something that many youth today don’t have.
Think how much further along the road you would be in your calling today if you had started preparing for it as a young child. Giving a vision is a good use of your time because you are helping others to redeem the time.
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"A police officer stopped a lady and asked to see her license. She responded “I wish you guys would get your act together. Just yesterday you take away my license and today you expect me to show it to you!""
Perhaps that situation could have been avoided if she had asked a few questions the first time around. Lots of time is wasted by people who don’t ask the right questions.
When your boss gives you an assignment you aren’t completely clear about, is it your tendency to act like you understand when you really don’t because you don’t want to look dumb? The truth is most any boss would rather you ask a clarifying question than to have you do the job wrong and waste time doing it over. Not wanting to ask questions, so we appear to know it all already, comes from pride. And the Bible says “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”
Humbling yourself enough to ask questions might help you redeem the time.
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"A classified ad read, “Nice parachute for sale. Never opened. Used only once.”
Well at least the seller had the right idea of getting rid of unused items. Unnecessary clutter can be one of our biggest wastes of time. The amount of clutter in our home or workplace has a direct impact on our productivity in two ways. First, clutter creates an atmosphere of being overwhelmed and confused. It puts us in a depressed mood that says, “Where do I even begin?”
Secondly, clutter makes it hard to find the tools we need to get the job done. When papers, projects and information get buried under a stack on our desk or stuffed mindlessly in a drawer, our ability to produce suffers and so does our Christian testimony.
Look around you right now. Are there things you could sell, trash or give away? If so, don’t procrastinate another day. Conquer your clutter now. You’ll be surprised at how it will help create the momentum you need to redeem the time.
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"Did you hear about the man who was riding in the back of a pick-up truck and drowned when it plunged into the river. It seemed he couldn’t figure out how to get the tailgate down.
Some problems have rather simple solutions. Others however may require the assistance of a specialist. Smart business people have long known the value of hiring an outside consultant when exploring a new product line or opening a new venture.
But getting a consultant is a good practice for anyone who wants to be more effective at what God calls them to do. That doesn't always mean hiring someone with the title of consultant, but rather learning how to network with people of expertise. One way to do that, is using the toll free numbers provided by manufacturers of products from computers to household cleaners. Taking a moment to contact someone who works with solving your problem everyday, could be smart way to redeem the time.
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