I didn't have time to do it

How many times have you heard someone say that they, "didn't have time to do it." Whether it was a task that didn't get finished or an activity that was left undone, we often excuse ourselves by saying that we didn't have time to do it.

In reality, however, we did have time to do it--we just chose to do something else instead. Each one of us has the same amount of time in a day and how we choose to spend it is up to us. When we say that we do not have time to do something, what we are really saying is, "I think something else is more important or I have something else I want to do more; therefore, I don't have time to do anything else"

The fact of the matter is that we always have time for the thing we do FIRST, and if we really want to do something, we can always make it first. Over the years, I have often thought that I did not have time to do something, but generally found that if I really wanted to do it, I could make time to do it by just throwing out activities of lesser importance. When we know what we should be doing and use the excuse that we do not have time for it, we are really just admitting that the problem is that other activities are a higher priority in our schedule.

My husband has an example that he uses in his seminar to prove this point... Think of all the things that you have to do. Do you have time right now for a two week vacation? Probably most of us would say that we do not. However, if you were to receive a call that a friend had just given you a free two week trip to the Holy Land if you could be ready to go in two weeks, would you suddenly decide that you really did have time for a two week vacation? Why? Because all those cleaning projects and petty activities that seemed so important just a few minutes before suddenly just really aren't that important any more!

We have been homeschooling for twelve years now, and quite honestly, with all I am doing, I just don't have time for it. I could name a hundred things each day that I have to do, but each day for 180 days a year, I start out by doing first what has to be one of the most important things in my life--teaching my children to love God with all their heart, and preparing them to effectively accomplish what God has called them to do in this life. Sometimes I get other things done, and sometimes I don't, but I do get done what I make time for.

In just a couple of weeks, our family will have two big milestones. First, our oldest daughter, Sunshine, will graduate from high school. When I see how she wants to serve God and is adequately prepared to do so, I am not sorry about all the things that I didn't have time for while I was spending it helping to prepare her for life!

Just a few days after her graduation, our family is leaving for a four month trip to Europe to share the messages on "Redeeming the Time" that we have shared for over twenty years here in the U.S. It seemed like an impossibility that God would ever work it out, but now it's almost here, and we are excited about how we will be able to minister (all twelve of us!) in countries from Ireland to Albania. We'll be posting what we are doing as we get the opportunity.

If you have the time--actually, if you take the time--be sure to check back in and see how we are "redeeming the time"!