The Discipline of Time

My break has been full of family, friends, games, movies, sleeping, cooking, talking, and a little bit of study. I am now reading through a book that a dear friend gave me for my birthday this past summer. Discipline; The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot, has really been a fantastic read. The first half is good and pretty much what I have learned from Mama and other mentors over the years--great review! The second half of the book is divided into seven chapters discussing aspects of practical discipline. Today's chapter was dealing with time and how to use it well. One of my favorite quotes from the chapter is actually a poem by Amy Carmichael:

Lover of All, I hold me fast by Thee,

Ruler of time, King of Eternity

There is no great with Thee, there is no small,

For Thou art all, and fillest all in all.

The newborn world swings forth at Thy command,

The falling dewdrop falls into They hand.

God of the firmament's mysterious powers

I see Thee thread the minutes of my hours.

There's a time for everything. Usually when I "don't have time" it is more an attitude of not making time or simply not wanting to do it. Everyone has 24 hours in day. It's not so much what you schedule out to do, but what you get done all depends on how you choose to spend it. Take some time and sit in the stillness and quiet around you. Pay attention to the things around you and delight in the silence. It's not all about moving, changing, noise, color, new and different. Just be. Appreciate the moments as the tick by and think of the difference each minute can make and all that can be accomplish by stack them up together.

"Sunrise, noon, sunset, midnight. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. January, May, September. Winter, spring, summer, autumn. Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas. These are the punctuation marks of time, and what a marvelous mercy that God divided light from darkness."

There is always time enough to do the will of God. Honestly, in all the hectic-ness of life, all the activities and plans on my plate, in the seemingly crazy-busy schedule of the days God grants me the grace to get done all that He has for me to do that day.

Often God's timing isn't mine. And more often than not, it is hard for me to accept that and see how all the little inconveniences that annoy me so, are being woven into the mysterious tapestry of life. Several times in the Bible there are examples of people trusting on God's timing and being blessed for their patience. Even when everything seems to be going wrong and nothing is working out, it is so reassuring to know that God is still in control and it isn't going wrong in His book, rather following the plans He has already laid out for us--we just can't see it and sometimes feel like the blindness is acutely oppressive. As Jesus has said, when we follow Him, He will make our paths easy and our burdens light. It is for us to lay all our cares and sorrows, joys and afflictions, on Him and willing submit ourselves unto Him. What an awesome and amazing God I serve.

I've alway heard that it's best to make time for a quiet time early in the morning. In my persistent stubbornness I have resisted that idea and wanted/tried to read my Bible and pray at night, in the afternoon--basically any time but right after I wake up. Well, I've been thinking about that this break and really wondering if there is something to the idea of giving the first minutes (hour) to the Lord, just being in His presence. So, at the end of this book Eliot talked a bit about just making yourself spend some quiet time before you greet the world. Whether that be before you get out of bed or not until after you have gotten a cup of coffee and a cozy blanket, that there really is no better way to start your day. It really is the most important part of your day--learn to love it and find the joy in rising *early* to spend time alone with the Lord.