Time—A Precious Talent
Are there enough hours in
your day? Do you know
where they all go? At the end
of the day, are you exhausted
and frustrated because an-
other day is history and you
did not accomplish much of
anything? If so, there is a big
club you may join, because
many—perhaps most— of us
experience the same thing!
When God created the
earth and the heavens above
it, He created time for us and set it in
motion. It is one gift, one talent, that
is given to each of us equally; there
are twenty-four hours in
your day as there are in
mine. No doubt, God ex-
pects us to make the best
possible use of this talent,
and our failure to do so is, I
believe, displeasing to
Him.
Many articles and
books have been written
about “getting organized”
and “saving time.” Many of them
contain detailed outlines and in-
structions in methods of achieving
order in our lives and getting things
done. Most of them “leave me cold”
because I would never have time to
set up the elaborate systems recom-
mended! I am reminded of a person
I once knew who spent most of her
time “organizing” her work while
the work itself piled up. I am
convinced there is a better way!
Could it be that we simply waste
time, that we squander the minutes?
The minutes add up to hours, and
thus our days fade into oblivion and
we have nothing to show for them.
But if we consciously determine to
use our minutes and hours wisely,
asking God to guide us in setting
our priorities, I believe we will
realize His blessing on
our efforts.
Consider the tele-
phone. It is a wonderful instrument
of convenience and it enables us to
stay in touch with family and
friends. But hours
can be wasted just
talking and gos-
siping on the
phone; hours that
could be spent in
meaningful labor,
in helping others
and in communing with our heav-
enly Father. The same applies to the
use of computers; while they are ne-
cessities, it seems, for many of us,
too much time can be spent chatting
with friends and strangers, explor-
ing the Internet and playing games.
Consider television. This is
perhaps the greatest time-wasting
tool that has ever been invented.
How many hours are spent each
week watching meaningless, soul
destroying shows and endless com-
mercials! The noise and visual stim-
ulation practically constitute
“assault and battery” on the nervous
system. How can the still, small
voice of God speaking to our hearts
be heard above the din of television?
The next time we are tempted to
watch television, let’s first turn to
Philippians 4:8 in our Bibles and
read: “…whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, what-
soever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report; if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise, think on
(Continued on page 8)
Woman to Woman
Vol. 2, No. 4
“And ye are complete in him.” Colossians 2:10
July/August 1999
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Our Mission Statement: Believing that we can find
completeness in all areas of our lives only “in him, who
is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians
2:10), it is the mission of Hearth to Hearth to provide a
forum for Christian women to reach out to each other in
friendship, with joy and hope; and to encourage each
other to find our completeness in Christ as we sojourn
here on our way to the kingdom.
