Life---in 3 Minutes or less

How is it that we have come to this?

We have so many time-saving, efficient devices and processes in our day, yet we constantly feel the need to rush around as if we cannot stop and savor what is occuring. 

That time that we have saved for ourselves with all of our gadgets and plans has not turned into something of worth.  It has not allowed us time to ponder and reason and just enjoy a few moments to ourselves.  No, it has caused us to have shortened attention spans, to the point that everything we do and view seems to need to fit into a space of three minutes or less.

We cannot begin to read an article or blog post that appears to have more than maybe five paragraphs.  We cannot take the time to watch a video when we see on the progress bar at the bottom that it is FIVE MINUTES LONG.  Oh, be still my heart! 

Yes, many factors play into this conundrum, but it is a sad one still.

When I consider this sad state we have allowed ourselves to get into, I always think of the lyrics to a song by county music's Alabama called "I'm in a Hurry."

I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why

That is just part of the song, but enough that you probably are either singing it in your head now, or you at least get the idea of why it often comes to my mind.

All of this to say that, as my head hurts from all of the random thoughts that are jumping through it right now, I think we all need to remember that time is one of the greatest gifts God has given us.  Some of that time needs to be used to be productive and even efficient, yet He intends for us to also wisely use some of it to just chill. 

Balance is not easy to find, especially when it comes to managing the gift of time.  However, we have a daily and even hourly opportunity to learn from our past mistaken imbalances and implement those lessons in ways that will benefit us in our moments and days we are currently living.

If this strikes a chord with you, I invite you to jump over to my friend Christie Love's site called Love's Notes and check out a new FREE online Time Management Bible Study she has just begun to lead.  You can jump in at any point no matter what you may have already missed.  I think it will bless you to have some guidance in changing your perspective on how you use your time as Christie uses her vast experience in time management coaching in order to lead this Bible study.

In hopes that you are still reading this and I haven't taken up too much of your precious time ;-) --- I will leave you with this:

"There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens..."  Ecclesiastes 3:1