Becoming A Timekeeper

Becoming a Timekeeper

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Ephesians 5:16-17

We all have only so many hours in a day, and the Amish know how to fill them to the brim. Here is a portion of a “Daily Diary” column from September 1998.

4:00 A.M. Time to get the day started off. Rainy-like outside in these early morning hours. We could use rain. . . .

4:45 A.M. Breakfast is ready and we’re seated at the table. Fried potatoes and eggs, bacon, cheese, toast, peaches, marshmallows, sliced tomatoes, hot peppers, coffee and tea. . . .

5:10 A.M. My husband is off to the dairy farm and Susan and I wash dishes and Verena starts ironing the laundry. Plenty of it. . . .

7:30 A.M. Girls getting ready for work. Verena quits ironing. Yesterday, they assisted daughter Leah with her cleaning. . . .

7:55 A.M. Girls off to work, and I’m about ready to hang the clothes on the clothesline. Looks rainy, but I’ll take my try to get it hung out. . . .

8:50 A.M. The laundry hangs on the clothesline now. The sun is peeping through the clouds. Hopefully the wash will dry.

I don’t know about you, but just reading what the Amish get done before 9:00 a.m. makes me tired. It also makes me think about how I use my own time.

Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” I wonder, if we truly understood the brevity of life, would we spend hours on the Internet, watching television, or shopping for items that’ll be outdated and out of style in a matter of months?

The best way to honor God with our time is to make a list of our priorities. Ask yourself, Five years from now what will I be thankful that I completed? Reading to your child? Taking a Bible class? Exercising with your spouse?

We protect our homes; we protect our families; we protect our finances. May we all become more diligent about protecting our time.

Dear heavenly Father, I place my time in Your hands. Show me how to protect it, use it, and glorify You with it!