Time as a Mindset
Time as a Mindset
Good Morning my dear friend! So happy you have a bit of time to spend together! I trust that you’ve left last week behind and are all ready for the adventures of the week ahead. Grab your mug and something to sip on while we chat. I’ll wait right here for you! I know you are very busy and your time is valuable. Today I thought we could chat about time and our mindset of time. Are you settled in and comfortable? Let’s get started.
Thoughts on Time
Here in Nova Scotia, second only to discussions about the weather, we spend most of our time talking about time. We talk about not having enough time, time moving too quickly, wishing we had more time, or the fact that the older we get the faster time passes. We watch ourselves and those around us age. Things that we remember as happening “just the other day”, in reality happened weeks or months and sometimes, years ago. We spend so much time focusing on time, I wonder if we lose something of the value of the time we do have?
Mindsets
I believe our concept of time has become caught up in a mindset. The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary describes the term mindset this way: 1) a mental attitude or inclination 2) a fixed state of mind (retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mind-set). So a mindset is a fixed way of looking at something.
I believe our focus on time has become so fixed that it has become a distraction and sometimes an excuse for not living life intentionally. Our mindset has become one of “not enough” and “too quickly” and because of that we have preconceived notions of what our time looks like. These preconceived notions impact the reality of the time we have and out intentional use of that time.
Time in a Bottle
When I think of time in a bottle I see an elaborate hourglass filled with fine sand; one in which you can sit and watch the time slowly move from present to past as it slips from the top to the bottom. There is something about an hourglass that seems to slow time down; perhaps because it is a concrete way to watch the passage of time. Time seems to pass so much more slowly when you are waiting on it and watching it.
But our current mindset tells us that time doesn’t move slowly, but quickly. Because it moves quickly, we believe we need to move quickly to somehow keep up with it or even to get ahead of it. It is like we are trying to outwit and out race the time we have.
Shifting Time
What happens when you shake an hourglass? There is a shifting in the measure of the time. What if we were to give our mindset about time a shake? Could we shift the passage of time in our own lives?
Time
Time
take the time
you have the time
don’t get bogged down in
what if’s and should have’s
time is precious
like drops of water
in the desert
breathing life into your days
time
the hands move quickly or slowly
depending only on your mindset
change your mind
control the time
it is your time
What I Know About Time
1) God will redeem the time – He has done it before, He will do it again. Give Him the first fruits of your day/time and the rest will follow. Seek His face first and early and the rest will fall into place.
2) If we are walking in God’s plan and purpose for our life – we can’t rush the time – so settle into it. Lean in and let it happen; don’t rush it and don’t resist it.
3) When we are on a good path, we need to stop questioning and just take the next step. The next step knows where we are going.
4) We need to learn to live more lightly – there is much seriousness in the world. We need to make a space for laughter, rest and relaxation with friends, good food and conversation, a good cup of tea and some time in the sun.
5) Stop thinking and start doing. Sometimes we are so focused on “how much time” something is going to take that we talk ourselves out of it. Just do it!
6) Acknowledge God in the everyday. God is not just for Sunday’s, He is an everyday God. We must acknowledge His presence in our everyday. Seek Him early and He will guide and direct your daily path and time will take care of itself.
Life is a Marathon not a Spring
As I sat with Jesus this week, I heard, “life is a marathon, not a sprint – you need to learn to breathe through.”
Because our mindset around time is “not enough” we often sprint through the days trying to cram as much into each minute/hour as we can. At the end of the day we may feel productive, but we are also exhausted and often unfulfilled. If we were to shift our mindset and sit and watch that sand as it moves slowly but deliberately through the hourglass we would see that there is lots of time and it moves at a marathon pace. If we could shift our mindset to one of the tortoise rather than the hare, the race could still be run and at the end of the day we would feel productive and fulfilled.
Realistic Expectations
How is it that we can create a list a mile long for ourselves; one that we wouldn’t reasonably expect from anyone else and then condemn ourselves at the end of the day when the list is not checked off? How is it that we can own the unrealistic expectations of others and society in general to be everything to everyone and to achieve more than is possible in any given time frame? When will we make a decision for ourselves and for our own families, to step back, change out mindset, flip the hourglass and start making realistic expectations for ourselves and those we love with regard to our use of time?
The Path, Plan and Purpose
We were created unique and with a plan and a purpose. The Lord has a beautiful path mapped out for us. The journey is ours to make. Our mindset about time is an important starting point for success on this journey. If we move forward with a mindset around time of “not enough” and “quickly” we will find ourselves sprinting through our life. If we can shift our mindset around time to “all I need” we will more quickly learn that life is a marathon. We will find our pace, our stride, our groove, and we will quickly move into a rhythm for our journey that is not only enjoyable but is also maintainable.
Next Steps
So what does all this mean practically? Here are some next steps for you. First off, how are you using your time? This week take a notebook and start writing down what you are doing with your time, even for a few days. You will be amazed at two things: 1) the number of things you actually get accomplished, and 2) the amount of time you have that you are not using as productively as you could be. Mindsets change when we 1) realize that there is an inaccuracy with our perception, and 2) when we make an effort to reflect on where we are and where we are going.
Now that you have noted how you are spending your time, what changes would you like to make? Start small and be consistent. Do you have some quiet/prayer time slotted in each day? If not, start with that. Start with 15 minutes a day and work up. Remember, God will redeem that time and your walk with Him will improve exponentially as you spend time in His Presence! What other changes would you like to make? Start adding them one at a time and over a period of a few weeks, your mindset will begin to shift. Shifts in mindset take time, so don’t get discouraged, just work it through!
Until Next Time
Well, my friend, my tea cup is empty and I see that our time for this week is up. I sure enjoy our time together! Go forth this week and be awesome and start reflecting on your time mindset. Remember, time = marathon rather than sprint and “sufficient for the day” rather than “not enough”.
See you again next week, same time, same place!
If you are interested in more Devotional reading, head over to my Facebook Page where you will find a Weekly Devotion early every Monday morning. Click here to go directly to the Weekly Devotions with Laurie.
Until next time,
From my heart to yours!
Laurie
