How to Schedule: Part 4

We are four weeks into learning how to schedule! How is it going? Are you starting to develop patterns of planning and praying. Do you have a better sense of where your time is going and how to use your time to accomplish the things that are important to you? Remember that all of this important because our time does not belong to us, we are only stewards of it.

This week we're going to talk a bit about what happens after the schedule is made and plans are submitted to God. As we walk in obedience throughout our minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc..., how do we continue to demonstrate a heart of submission to God in our use of time.

Let's read today in Ephesians 5 and then look at why and how we can keep our commitments, and what to do when that feels impossible.

Ephesians 5:15 - 21

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Keeping our Commitments demonstrates where our hearts are focused. As we submit our plans to God and He directs our steps, we can accept commitments that are wise and then with gratitude and dependence on God, do what we have committed to doing. If we are focused on obedience, we will be less distracted by the things that come up or the "evil" of the day that tries to distract us from the important things we have intentionally chosen to do. Sometimes our inability to keep our commitments comes from a lack of prayer or prioritization in the scheduling. By living in wisdom, we can focus on doing what God has laid out for us each day.

Keeping our Commitments clarifies the balance between God's sovereignty and our work. Sometimes what we have on the calendar seems daunting. And it can be tempting to not do the things we have committed to because we are drawn to rest and ease. But because we have submitted our time to the Lord, we can do what He has called us to and not waste time. As we are tired or feeling overwhelmed, we can continue to acknowledge that and submit those feelings to God so that we can see Him direct our steps. I have lost count of how many times I have looked at the week ahead and been completely unsure of how I was going to do the things that God had laid out for me. Yet He will have plans change or shift or cancel or reschedule as He desired. I can then enjoy the busyness and the rest, the work and the leisure as gifts from God and out of obedience to Him.

Keeping our Commitments gives us the ability to freely say yes to the things that are important. A dear friend recently encouraged me to put family time, marriage time, etc... on the calendar just as I would any other commitment. This has been such a freeing practice to our family. I used to feel the need to apologize for or schedule over time that was blocked off for family time. But by planning my time well according to God's priorities and in a way that is submitted to His will, then I am able to say yes and no to things with clarity and direction. Perhaps we find that we are often cancelling appointments because we have not had enough rest or we have not had enough time for homework or family time, etc.. It would be wise to do a more circumspect job of scheduling to include those things and then not breaking our time commitments.

But we are humans. And the world is broken. With our best planning and submitting, we will still find that we have to cancel plans or rearrange schedules to be able to adapt. So how do we respond when we do have to change plans?

1. Pray that God would show you how you can submit yourself to the needs of others over your own needs. When we have overbooked, it can be helpful to evaluate what sacrifices we are able to make to avoid leaving someone in a lurch.

2. Pray that God would show you areas where you are wasting time or ways that you can reschedule things without breaking a commitment.

3. Be thankful for the reminder of our humanness, and approach God and the affected people with humility.

4. Leave the results of the broken commitment in God's hands. Again we must realize that this is God's time, and He is sovereign. Even my sinful choices or scheduling mistakes do not negate the power of God. So even if I feel that I have let someone down, I trust that in God's sovereignty, He has intended that for good.

   
   

To close I'll share a recent story about time commitments and how God demonstrated His sovereignty even in my mistakes.

A few months ago, at the beginning of the school year, I had committed to not scheduling anything on the first week of school so that I could give our new routines and curriculum and habits my full attention. And I thought I had done that, until I looked at the calendar and realized I had scheduled a gal to come chat right smack-dab in the middle of our first school day. I knew that I needed to reschedule that, but was dreading telling her that we would need to change plans. I prayed that God would make it clear what I was to do. A few hours later this gal texted and said that she had something come up with a coworker who needed her help and really felt like she needed to prioritize that. Neither of us had to break a commitment, and we were both able to wisely change our plans as we submitted them the Lord. Such a simple story, but we will see God working out His will over and over again as we steward our time in submission to God.