time management

I came home to a quiet house, after dropping my kids off with their dad for the extended weekend.  On my way in from the garage, I opened the freezer to grab the tray of rhubarb pieces that I had laid out, single layer, on a tray.  I prepared to transfer the frozen pieces into a plastic bag.  After the tray had been cleared, I noticed little frost squares that had been left behind around where the rhubarb pieces had sat.  I suddenly had a brief chilled feeling, akin to loneliness.  I inwardly sighed and thought, I'm gonna miss those kids.  With the long weekend, I wouldn't get to see them till Monday evening.  Now don't get me wrong, I do treasure the quiet, alone times, especially when I haven't really had any quiet for over a month.  But when you really care about someone and enjoy spending time with them, you kinda miss them when they're gone, even if they're only gone for a little bit.

I finished clearing the tray of rhubarb and just stood there for a second, looking at the empty tray covered in little square frost spots.  It kind of looked like a calendar with all its squares except that there were probably 75 little squares; a very busy calendar indeed.

And then I had to wonder, does God miss me when I'm gone?  Does He look ahead at my schedule and calendar and sigh, I'm gonna miss her for the next few days.  Cause when you really care about someone and enjoy spending time with them, you kinda miss them when they're gone, even if they're only gone for a little bit.  And the truth is, when I get extra busy, the loyal relationships in my life take a back seat for a little while.

I looked around at the rest of the kitchen and evaluated the work I still had to do.  It's all fun stuff; preparing produce to pack into the fridge for the week, making frosting for cupcakes and other things.  But it felt like God was longing to spend a little time with me, instead.  So I stepped away from the tasks and found my place with Him for a while.  And I was glad I did.  I bet He missed me when I was so busy.

Last week, I was standing in the canned food aisle at Costco and was trying to figure out if I should spend $6 on a case of black beans or just can my own, as I would prefer to do.  $6 isn't much but canning your own is even cheaper plus there's no waste from the cans.  But it is a bit of a chore, presoaking the beans, par-cooking, and then pressure canning them.  I was talking to myself and muttering, "Should I save time or save money?"  My daughter piped up, "Save time!  And then you can spend more time with ME!"  Well, that settled it.  I put the case of beans in my cart and walked away.  

I think it's helpful to recognize that God feels the same way my daughter does.  So many times, I make choices to invest more time in something because it's more economical or environmental or whatever.  And it's good to be conscious of both the world and our finances, but not at the expense of our time with those we love: God, our children, our families, our friends.

I've been so busy lately.  I've actually been busy reevaluating the use of my time and I gotta tell you, I have adjustments that I can definitely make.  And I'm making them.  And you know what?  I've gotten more accomplished in the last few days than I have in a while.  Yes, I'm constantly busy, but I'm busy with more of the right kind of stuff.  And it feels more rewarding and satisfying and fulfilling.  I'm still struggling with the idea of giving up some stuff that is important to me but I think I'll figure this out soon, hopefully.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to periodically visit my schedule and my time management and make sure I'm focused on what really matters.  So help me, God, to have the wisdom and honesty to identify the distractions in my life that are keeping me from the priorities.  And then to have the will to live within the newfound perspectives.