Have you ever noticed yourself saying,
I don’t have time for (this) right now!”
I have said it, countless times.
I think it is one of those most used sentences in our language, but I haven’t done any official research. What I know from 30 years of personal experience, is that this phrase is used quite frequently.
I wanted to bring it up because I was sharing in conversation with a friend of mine and I heard it slip out of her mouth. She may have intentionally said it and meant it, but I am not sure she understood the repercussions of that power statement in her life a few years from now. This got me thinking.
In what ways have I used this phrase and been unaware of the repercussions in my own life over the years?
I needed to start with some examples…
I don’t have time to take care of that right now.
I don’t have time for sex right now.
I don’t have time to ask my friend what’s wrong right now.
I don’t have time to read the Bible right now.
I don’t have time to sit with my kids to read right now.
I don’t have time to post a blog right now.
I don’t have time to call my dad right now to ask how he is doing.
I don’t have time to deal with that person right now.
I don’t have time to take a shower right now.
I don’t have time to focus on the laundry right now.
I don’t have time to referee my kids right now.
I don’t have time to do the dishes right now.
I don’t have time to explain that right now.
I don’t have time to take this call right now.
I don’t have time to text back right now.
I don’t have time to tell him my heart right now.
I don’t have time to do what I want to do right now.
These are all things I have caught myself saying at one point – at least in my head. They range from superficial things to pretty important things. Now, what happens if we break down the repercussions of each one… if I don’t do the laundry it will pile up and suck for a while, leaving me feeling overwhelmed and out of stock. If I don’t spend intimate time with my husband, he may feel rejected, we will both feel unsatisfied in marriage and bitterness may build up. If I don’t step in to help my children, they will grow wildly out of control with no respect for authority and may even feel unwanted or unloved.
We say we don’t have time for these things, whether they are priorities or not, but with no regard to the domino effect it could have in our lives.
What happens to our hearts when we believe we don’t have time for these things?
I feel like for me, a wall builds up and I put off doing these things. I avoid at all cost. So, even if the Lord wants me to do these things, He has to break down a wall to get me to see it again and then convince me I have time for it.
And is it really “time” that we wrestle with?
I feel like we all know it’s not time. We like to blame time, because everyone is a victim of having 24 hours in a day and no one can change that. We blame time not being enough for us. However, when I really consider the things I say I don’t have “time” for, it is usually sooooooo much more than that!
It is inconvenient, it is hard, it is emotional, it is not benefitting to me, it is annoying to deal with, it is an energy-drainer, it is a mental challenge, it is a major source of anxiety, it is an insecurity.
I want to challenge us to evaluate our lives:
Are there things in our lives we are convinced we don’t have time for?
Are we letting God be sovereign in our lives and lead us through the things we should be giving our attention and energy to?
Are we building walls in our heart to keep things in our blind spots to avoid confronting them?
Are we blaming “time” when it is really a whole lot of heart issues wrapped around the issue?
Are we considering the repercussions of what avoiding things in our life can look like years down the road?
Are we exterminating growth opportunities God wants for us to experience by saying we don’t have time for it?
What things in your life are you saying you don’t have time for right now? And are you allowing God to lead you to make time for it if that is what He wants you to focus on?
We all want more time, I get it! I would love to have more time or somehow duplicate myself. However, the reality is that we are all given the same gift of time to prioritize. What are we doing with our time?
Instead of saying we don’t have time for this right now…
I challenge us to change our words around to something a little more purposeful…
I need to pray about this right now!”