Planning My Personal Calendar Part 1
By Stovall Weems
There are always several great opportunities for us to take advantage of, both in the ministry and in our family’s life as well. But sometimes I have to say no to some of those if they don’t fit into the big picture for the whole year.
So how do I choose? After praying for God’s guidance and committing to align myself with His plans and purposes for the year, there are basically 3 filters I run things through to ensure I’m stewarding my time well. These have been very helpful to me and I’ll be sharing them with you over the next few blog posts. Today, the first filter:
1. Is it good for our family?
It’s very important to be sensitive to school Holidays and events I don’t want to miss. If something which seems like a great opportunity is going to cause an enormous amount of stress on my family, I won’t commit to it.
What filters do you use when planning?
Stovall
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I am so excited about this post…it seems we are living at the speed of light.
The reality of it is that we have a limited amount of time each day in which to live. My filter has been “Do It All”- I try to make the most of every minute by creating a mental list of items and hit the ground running trying to ensure that my day will end with a great feeling of accomplishment – laundry, dishes & dinner, kids to school, phone calls & emails in traffic all before the work day begins. While I am able to get a lot of things accomplished, I have also found that I am simply not living completely in the moment. This really slapped me in the face when my family threatened to leave a restaurant if I did not put my phone down and give them my full attention. I thought I was doing a great job of multi-tasking, dinner with the fam, catching up on email and updating facebook. I know most of you can relate.
What God showed me is that I was cheating myself by not fully living in the wonderful moments that He gives us each day. I was even missing out on some divine appointments by rushing through my days.
My new filter is “Now”! I want to look for every opportunity to make a difference where ever I am in that very moment. I want to slow my pace and release myself from being an overachiever so I can see God in the little things and not miss out on an opportunity to share a word of encouragement or His love through a random act of kindness.
I still want to be the best wife, mother, friend and employee. I have realized that I can live in a world of blurred lines as long as I give my full attention to the assignment of the moment. I love my life and every aspect of it…it all blends together for one big happy mess!
I don’t want to measure my day in trivial achievements but in “God Moments” seizing every opportunity to share His love and live in the grandeur of each moment.
Every morning as the last sips of coffee pass my lips I will take a deep breathe and ask God to simply…use me today and help me to live in the “Now”. I look forward to hearing your wisdom on this subject.
I love the fact that you put your family at the top position of your priority measuring stick. Being a family man myself, I know the value of making room for quality time for them. I always keep them in mind anytime I am making a major decision.
Thanks for what you do and keep it coming.
This is an awesome point. I was recently offered a promotion in my work but it would have been at great expense to my family. Marcia and I decided it was not worth the trade off.
Wow! I have been having this conversation with myself and family the past several weeks. My filters, 1st, I pray for GODS guidance 2nd. is what I am planning or commiting to going to be pleasing and in line with GODS will in my life and family. 3rd, Is what Im going to say to someone including my family will it bring peace and joy or will it cause strife and anger. I have several filters and I sometimes fall short of using them, but GOD has a very gentle nature of reminding me to use the filters he has put in me. GOD is so GREAT,
This is going to be an amazing to hear what filters you use and see what filters I can add into my life. Thank you for your blogs I learn so much from them.. GOD bless you and your family
I am enjoying your ministry your testimony and the preaching messages that you are bringing to us, thanks,….mandy
I try my best to not make any commitments or plans that will cause my husband unnecessary stress. We have 5 children and it is my calling to be home with then as well as my husband. I decide where and when on family events/outings based on time also. Naps and such have always been determining factors! Most of all, when in doubt, pray and decide then.
Since we have five children, we always consider whether or not an activity will include the whole family. Since time is precious, we always try to stay most involved in activites that include everyone.