Daily Devotions
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR TIME (2)
“Teach us to realize the brevity of life.” Ps 90:12 NLT
Gordon MacDonald gives us some of the traits of a disorganized life. See if you recognize any: “(1) Appointments/messages/deadlines missed. I know I’m disorganized when there are a series of forgotten appointments, telephone messages to which I have failed to respond, and deadlines which I have begun to miss. The day becomes filled with broken commitments and lame excuses. (2) Unproductive tasks. If I am disorganized I tend to invest my energies in unproductive tasks…There is a tendency toward daydreaming, and avoidance of decisions that have to be made, and procrastination. (3) Lack of intimacy with God. Disorganized Christians rarely enjoy intimacy with God. No one has to tell them that time must be set aside for the purpose of Bible study and reflection, for intercession, for worship. They know all of that. They simply are not doing it. They excuse themselves, saying there is no time. But they know it is more a matter of organization and personal will than anything else. (4) Shallow personal relationships. Days pass without a significant conversation with my son or daughter. My wife and I will be in contact but our conversations may be shallow. I may become irritable, resenting any attempt on her part to call attention to things I have left undone or people I appear to have let down. (5) Lack of self-esteem. When we are disorganized in our control of time we just don’t like ourselves, our jobs, or much else about our worlds. And it is difficult to break the destructive pattern that settles in. This terrible habit pattern of disorganization must be broken, or our private worlds will quickly fall into total disorder.”
