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Do I Even Have The Time?

Updated: Sep 22

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Hey y'all! In today's post, we're going to be talking about how to find time for writing (or any God-given dream/assignment/task) while raising kids, serving the home, and managing life's many responsibilities.

Now, before I begin, I want to clarify that this has been a journey for me and is something that I'm still walking through (and probably will be for the rest of my life). But God has used these seasons to refine me, bring me closer to Him, and help me see that He really does have everything in control - even if we don't (ha).



So let's begin!


1. Learn to say no


Finding time for the things we want to pursue means we say no to the things that are blocking that time.

It is very tempting for me to say yes to every good opportunity that comes. "It could turn into this." I think. I fell victim to this Spring 2020 as I entered the second half of my junior year of college. That semester I overcommitted myself:


  • Full-time student, taking 15 credit hours

  • Running Track & Field for the University

  • Secretary of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee)

  • Part-time job as a Teacher's Assistant for an English Professor

  • Student leader and Communication's Director for our college ministry

  • Member of the University's Writing Club


The list goes on and on. For some reason I thought I could handle the load, but as the semester started, I realized very quickly that I had overdone myself.


The issue with saying yes to so many things is that it limits our ability to give our full excellence to the things that matter most.


In this season of my life, my grades, athletics, relationships with people and God, and writing were important. But because I said yes to so many things, I couldn't give my full attention to the things that really mattered.


2. Pray about what God wants you to focus on in this season


I don't know about you, but whenever I get an idea, I immediately want to go full force in completing it. It's a good mindset, but it can get me in trouble when I try to toggle between too many tasks.


Ecclesiastes 3 makes it clear that God doesn't expect us to work on everything all at once. Instead, He gives us seasons for our God-given assignments:


"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Ecclesiastes 3:1


What our English language fails to illustrate in this verse is the type of time Solomon is referring to. It's an "appointed time," meaning that God has purposed for that activity to happen at a certain time in history.


This is the same language Mordecai uses in Esther. "Who knows but that you have come into your royal position for such a time as this." Esther 4:14 It's a specific time in history.


Jesus is another great example. "But when the right time came, God sent his Son into the world." Galatians 4:4


We can rest assured that God will communicate and let us know when He wants us to work on certain tasks. The hard part is having the patience to wait until He says “go.”


3. Listening more than doing


Naturally, I like to always be doing or working on something. When I became a stay-at-home wife and got pregnant, I struggled with this. I felt that if I wasn't "working" I was being lazy and purposeless.

But doing doesn't always mean we're doing the right things. People "do" all the time.


Something God has to consistently remind me is that it is better to sit and listen to Him rather than always be doing something. Mary and Martha are great examples. Mary recognized the beauty in sitting at Jesus's feet and listening to Him, even if that meant she didn't get as much done as she might have wanted.


Martha on the other hand saw serving as more important than listening. She didn't recognize the significance in pausing to listen.


"I'll get to reading my Bible later."

"I just need to finish _____ and then I'll spend time with God."

"I don't have time to pray because of x,y,z."


We've all been there. But if we never stop to listen to His voice, then how will we know if we're fulfilling the right assignments? God might ask us to fulfill something outside of our daily schedule. If we're so caught up in the daily to-dos, how do we find time to work on these things?


4. Schedule it in


After graduating college, getting married, and having a baby, I quickly learned that there's only one way to achieve things: you must make time for it. Wishing and expecting God to magically give us time throughout our day without putting in good habits is like eating ice cream and expecting to lose weight. It doesn't make sense.


When Briston and I first got married, he still was in school and growing Texas Outlaw. To pay the bills, I worked full-time. I also was getting my masters. Writing was still important to me and by this point I had a YA Fantasy book idea. Only writing when I had time seemed never to come. And writing in the evenings after work was a nightmare with having Narcolepsy.


If I wanted quality work, then I needed to work on the project at the best time for my body. For me, that's mornings. I decided to commit to waking up at 5AM and writing for one hour Monday-Friday.

I'll be honest, there were days I didn't want to get up, felt sleepy, and had writer's block. But that season of waking up that early was monumental in developing good scheduling habits. It taught me that if I want to do something, I must set aside time for it.


Reflection


My hope and prayer is that these tips help create a better, more purposeful life for you. Feeling overwhelmed, impatient, and even lost is normal. I think it’s a part of discovering the path God wants us to follow.


But I want us to be intentional with the time we have and show God that He can trust us with big assignments.

 
 
 

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