Managing Your Time at Home: Begin Managing Your Priorities

September, 2005

by: Becky Barnfather

In various months throughout the next year or so we will look at managing your time and home. This is specific for wives and mothers, but could certainly apply to most everyone in their lives. Let’s begin this series of articles by saying that everyone has their own way of keeping their home and managing their time that is appropriate for their lives. Others have no idea where to begin in this area, and still others are living in sin by the lack of time management they have in their lives. How is a lack of time management sinful? Well, let’s observe what the Bible has to say. In Psalm 90:12 it says “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”In Ephesians 5:15 it says “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is…” We are instructed to make the most of our time, not foolishly wasting our time (Colossians 3:23).

The most important thing to consider when managing your time is your relationship with God. This is absolutely the most important place to begin. You may have days when you just don’t get up and get going on time and don’t get your Bible read. You will do much better at this when you are accountable to doing Bible Study and praying. Your home can not be a warm and loving place if you are irritable and living in sin constantly. This is a place where you must look at every priority and put this as your absolute first priority. Take the time to organize your Bible and prayer time. “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17) — let prayer be on your heart throughout your day. However, you need to be specific and pray for your friends and family and other needs, so it’s a good idea to organize your time in prayer. For instance, you may pray DAILY for your husband and children. On Sundays you could pray specifically for the Elders, Pastors, Interns, and Church staff along with all their wives. On Mondays you could pray for your family, Tuesdays for close friends and their families… etc. James 5:16 — “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”To pray for each of these every single day would be daunting and difficult for most of us. So, in this way you have more time to ask for specific needs for each person you pray for. You may also list in your prayer journal all the things you want to pray for in your husband, yourself, and your children. Don’t be vague, be specific in order to really pray and watch for those areas of growth in your life and your family.

Set aside a specific time each day, if you are able. As a young mother, it may be during the baby’s naptime. Perhaps what is really best, once the children begin sleeping well is to wake up early each morning and do your Bible Study and prayer time before everyone else is awake, or perhaps when they are fast asleep at night. It doesn’t really matter exactly when this is or how much time you spend to begin, but what is important is that you have daily interaction with the Lord, reading the Bible, studying His Word, and praying and talking with God. The times when you don’t do this are usually the times when sin creeps into your life and begins to take over the areas that you struggle with the most.

I encourage you today to begin this very important area of time management. As a Christian it should be your first and foremost

thought each day to wake up and begin talking to God. As you grow in your walk with the Lord may you begin to desire that this time would grow longer and longer. May you never want to miss this time each day. Ask the Lord to make you long to interact daily with Him.