My biggest hinderance is not time, but motivation and value

My biggest hinderance is not time, but motivation and value.

My grandmother, Eula Gordon used to say, “You make time for what is important to you.”

During this season of life, I have discovered the truth of this statement.

I have a list of things I have told myself I would do if I just had time.  Well, once I got set up to work from home, I cut an hour of travel out of my day as a bare minimum plus all the other distractions of working in an office.  I found out quickly that these projects were not getting done.  The list of all the things I wanted to get done if I had time where not being accomplished. 

So, the issue was not time but motivation and the value I placed on that given task.  The truth is that most of those things are just not that important to me, I just don’t value them that much, they might even bore me.  So even working from home during a pandemic I find myself not getting those things accomplished.

This holds true in relationships as well.  People who are not willing to invest in your friendship because of time, will find other things to fill the time if the relationship is not of great value to them. 

This can be hurtful to realize at a time like this, but the reality is that people who refused to invest in you before will find other things of more value than you during this time of isolation or crisis.  I have noticed that behavior of people does not really change.  

People who will not return a call, a text or even answer the phone during “normal times” will operate the same during the midst of a pandemic.

The issue is not time it is value.  The relationship is just not of great value.  Now is a good time to evaluate relationships.  Who are the people who are most important to you?  Who are the people that you seem to always do all the giving and never receive anything in return?  Who are the people that encourage and inspire you?  

I have made up my mind that I am going to spend this time focusing on those in my life that mean the most to me and that I am of value to them.

Because Granny was right, “You make time for what is important to you.”

Learning from Social Distancing

Learning from Social Distancing

I have been focusing on some things to think about and learn from during this time of social distancing.

I am learning, thinking about, and focusing on the following things during these days:

What I can live without?

What is important to me?

The people who are important to me?

Enjoying the beauty in simple things each day.

The importance of rest and exercise.

Discovering the importance of stillness, quiet and solitude.

Think about those things I do not want to add back when this is all over?

Focusing on these things have increased my peace during these days of such uncertainty and challenge.

What I am learning about quiet?

The last bit of time has been challenging to me.  I am a people person and this whole world of social distancing and lack of meaningful interaction with others has been hard.  At first, I fought against it, then I began to realize I could resist whatever the Lord is trying to do for my good during all this or I could cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

For the last few days, I have been thinking about what this time of separation or even isolation from others is beginning to teach me. This is a work in progress, so this list is neither ranked by importance or exhaustive as a list.  It is just simply where I am right now.

So, what am I learning so far:

Quiet and solitude are good things

Like most of us my days are filled with activity. I am on the go and always doing something.  My day starts early and is usually long.  It is filled with travel, study, writing, reading, prayer, planning, meetings, ministry, administration and the list keeps going.

During all that activity there is usually a background of noise.  The noise can be anything from voice of a person, the sound of music, the noise of traffic.  Maybe when I have the opportunity for quiet and solitude, I pick up my phone and start to look at social media or turn on a television to watch some sporting event or western.

What is missing is quiet, stillness, solitude.  Then I fall in the bed and get up and do it all over again.  No wonder I become spiritually anemic and fail to hear the voice of God.  These days I have been still more than usual and quiet.  I have been listening.  I have been in tune with what is going on around me. 

The result has been a sense of peace during uncertainty.  I have heard spiritual lessons from simple things like flowers and taking a walk, or just sitting quietly and listening.  Just being still for a few moments.  Not trying to fight against that moment, not trying to fill it with noise or even activity.  Just listening!  It has been so good for me.