Shopping for Time (Redesign) E-Book

Carolyn Mahaney

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 115

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Finding Joy and Fulfillment in All God Has Called You To Do Overwhelmed. Miserable. Exhausted. These are the words that women often use to describe their busy lifestyles. How can you keep up with all the demands of work, family, and ministry? Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters offer biblical hope to women who truly desire to glorify God with their time. These authors present five key practices to help you see that you really can do all that God has called you to do— finding joy, peace, and rest in the One who has designed every season of your life.

Leseprobe

Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed

Copyright © 2007 by Carolyn Mahaney, et al.

Published by Crossway Books

a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Connie Gabbert

Cover illustration: Shutterstock

First printing 2007

Reprinted with new cover 2016

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked NLJV are from TheNew King James Version. Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-8012-3

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2061-7

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-0172-2

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-0865-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

     Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be OverwhelmedCarolyn Mahaney . . . [et al.].

          p. cm.

     ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-913-9 (tpb)

     ISBN 10: 1-58134-913-0

     1. Christian women—Religious life. I. Mahaney, Carolyn, 1955– II. Title.

BV4527.S435          2007

248.8'43—dc22               2007008075

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

ToCALY and TORI,future shoppers of time.

CONTENTS

IntroductionChapter OneShopping for TimeChapter TwoThe First Tip: Rise Early (Joining The 5 am Club)Chapter ThreeThe Second Tip: Sit Still (Sitting at Jesus’ Feet)Chapter FourThe Third Tip: Sit and Plan (Taking a Personal Retreat)Chapter FiveThe Fourth Tip: Consider People (Evaluating Relationships Carefully)Chapter SixThe Fifth Tip: Plan to Depend (Being Productive in Daily Life)ConclusionNotes

INTRODUCTION

It’s one o’clock on a Friday afternoon and the four of us, Mom and daughters, are sitting around Mom’s kitchen table. The grandsons and granddaughters have been deposited in various rooms throughout Mom-Mom’s house for rest times or naps. And we’re enjoying carryout from our favorite Greek restaurant down the street.

It’s girl time, for just a little while. And because we’re the best of friends, we’ve been looking forward to this hour at Mom’s kitchen table all week long.

Janelle has one eye on her French fries, which are crisping in the oven. Perfectly cooked fries are her idea of gourmet cuisine. Kristin’s already gulped down about two gallons of Mom’s southern sweet tea. To watch her drink, you’d think she hadn’t had a drop of liquid in two days, that girl. Nicole’s too busy talking to eat much of her meal. Mom, the steady, dependable one, is placidly enjoying her usual order—a Greek salad with grilled chicken. In the middle of the table, where the centerpiece used to be, is a giant container of feta cheese, which we all take turns dumping on our food. It would sound more polite to say we sprinkle it on our food, but that wouldn’t be quite accurate. To be completely honest, you’d have to say we like a little Greek food with our feta cheese.

Each daughter usually comes with her own agenda. Janelle has funny stories to tell and we laugh until we choke on our food (or drink, in Kristin’s case). Kristin seems to have an endless supply of heartbreaking tales, and we have to cut her off before we get too depressed. Nicole brings a list of serious issues to discuss, which sound very much like the ones she brought up last week (although she claims they are entirely different).

Mom is the listener and chief advice dispenser. And as fellow pastors’ wives and mothers, we daughters have oodles of questions we’ve been storing up all week. “What do I do when the boys won’t share their toys?” “How should I counsel a woman who struggles with condemnation?” “What is one way I can encourage my husband as he juggles his work and school load?”

When one of us asks a question, the rest of us jump in with our opinions—all at the same time. But in the end, we look to Mom, the wise sage-ess (what else do you call a female sage?), for the definitive word.

Today we’re talking about the e-mails we receive on our blog (www.girltalk.blogs.com), and specifically this one from a young girl named Kasy:

Although I’m only seventeen years old and don’t yet have the responsibilities of a homemaker, wife, and mother, I’m finding myself very overwhelmed with my current season of life. I am working about five hours a day, three days a week, trying to complete my senior year of high school, babysitting twice a month, attending a ladies’ Bible study at church weekly, etc. And starting this Friday, I’ll be adding three Friday nights and one Saturday a month with youth events at church. I’ve been so overwhelmed, and it’s making me miserable.

Overwhelmed. Miserable. Exhausted. We know the feeling well. As wives and mothers with toddlers and teenagers, and husbands who serve as local church pastors, we often feel pulled in five directions at once. We’ve learned there is no such thing as simply a busy month or a busy year. It’s a busy life, pure and simple. Around every corner is another potential hospitality, another counseling opportunity, another church meeting, another diaper to change or carpool to run.

But we also have learned from God’s Word that it is possible to deal with life’s demands without becoming overwhelmed, miserable, and exhausted. We can surmount the numerous responsibilities that threaten to wear us down. More than that, we can actually do all that God has called us to do.

“Ha,” you laugh. “You’ve got to be joking! Do it all? You haven’t seen my to-do list. It’s longer than an unwound roll of toilet paper!”

A fantastic claim, we know. But it’s true. We can accomplish everything God has ordained for us to do in this life. (Hint: It’s probably not half of what’s on your to-do list.) And we can do it in a peaceful, joyful manner and get sufficient rest besides.

But how? We’ve written this book to answer that question—for Kasy and every other seventeen-, twenty-seven-, and fifty-seven-year-old woman who may be overwhelmed, miserable, and exhausted.

So come join us at Mom’s kitchen table, won’t you? Pull up a chair. Here’s the carryout menu. Pick what you like; it’s on Mom. We’d love to have you be a part of the conversation as it’s bound to be a lively one. Oh, and please pass the feta.

Chapter One

SHOPPING FOR TIME

The bargain was simply too good to pass up. Never mind that she was in Florida visiting her mother and that her kitchen pantry was a thousand miles away in Maryland. Mom has never been easily deterred when she’s convinced something will serve her family. It was 1979, and as a young homemaker on a meager budget, Starkist tuna fish at twenty-nine cents a can would help stretch her grocery money.

So she ran over to Publix supermarket and snatched up some sixty cans of the white chunk fish in water. (It was probably soon thereafter when grocery stores began imposing limits per offer.) Mentally preparing overstuffed tuna fish sandwiches with chopped pickle, and creamy tuna broccoli casserole, she giddily paid the cashier. Back at Grandma’s house, Mom stuffed the precious discs in shoe-toes, between layers of clothing, and alongside her toiletries. Somehow she managed to cram all sixty cans into an already-full suitcase. And yes, every last can made it safely back to our Aquarius Avenue duplex where we kids and Dad were served a variety of tuna dishes for weeks on end. This probably explains our strong aversion to tuna casserole that persists to this day.

You may chuckle at the idea of a suitcase full of tuna fish, but you won’t laugh too loudly. That’s because you’ve probably got your own tuna fish story. And what’s more, you’re proud of it. We women take our shopping seriously.

We scour the Sunday paper for coupons and sales. We haunt thrift stores. We track down bargains better than a hound dog on a scent. We stalk a falling price as closely as a Wall Street trader follows a promising stock. We’ve even been known to commit acts of insanity like camping out overnight just to be first in line for a half-price sale or advancing on the shopping mall the day after Thanksgiving.

We’re experts in our trade. We know which time of year to shop for what items. We know which supermarket has the best produce and where to find the best deals online. We don’t get taken in by anyone, and, like Mom, we never pass up a good deal.

The reality is, however, we don’t often manage the time God has granted us on this earth with the same intentionality or skill that we bring to shopping. Think for a minute:

Do you plan ahead to maximize your fruitfulness each day, or do you simply let life happen?Do you make choices based on Scripture or on what feels good at the moment?Do you strategize to use your talents to bless your family and church, or do you employ them primarily for your own personal fulfillment?Do you evaluate every opportunity in light of biblical priorities, or do you do whatever it takes to get ahead?Do you consider whom God would have you serve, or do you try to please everyone all the time?

While we constantly—almost unconsciously—plan, evaluate, strategize, and make wise choices when shopping, we often neglect to do so with the most important matters of our lives. We wouldn’t dream of going to the grocery store without a shopping list, or buying a car without haggling over the sticker price, or purchasing new shoes without checking the price tag, but we throw away our time as if we had an endless supply.

As a result, we often miss out on the best deals life has to offer and end up paying big time in guilt, anxiety, and a lack of confidence that we’re really doing the will of God. More often than not, we’re overwhelmed by life’s choices and demands. Perhaps most unfortunately, we lack fruitfulness in Christ’s kingdom.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. We can know—with absolute certainty—that we are doing all God wants us to do. Peace and joy and rest can be an everyday experience. We can live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph. 4:1). And we can anticipate that future day when we will hear those words—“Well done, good and faithful servant. . . . Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21).

How? By becoming shoppers of time. This isn’t our bright idea. It comes straight from Scripture. Ephesians 5:15–16 tells us how to live like we shop: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Look Carefully

Check out the first part of this verse: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” It’s a sobering command, is it not? It means that we are to walk with the utmost accuracy, with extreme care. The nkjv reads: “See then that you walk circumspectly.” To be circumspect means to look around with caution.

We are not to trudge blindly or routinely through our days. We shouldn’t just let life happen and try to deal with the results, be what they may. We should not allow one day to flow simply into the next, being concerned only with the present moment. No, we must look around. We must develop keen eyes. We must examine our lives. We must evaluate our present manner of living and consider how to prepare for the future. We must walk circumspectly through each and every day.

After all, we wouldn’t dream of sauntering through a clothing store with our eyes closed, picking up whatever we touch, placing it on the counter, and hoping it would turn into a wardrobe. No, we carefully walk through the store with our eyes wide open. We consider style. We study the price tag. We evaluate quality.

This verse in Ephesians tells us to live the way we shop—carefully. It means we look backward and ponder our life thus far so that we might avoid past errors and repeat former victories. It necessitates that we look forward and not embark upon a course (whether short or long) until we’ve considered where it will lead. It requires us to take an honest look inside and question our motives, our reasons for the choices that we make. It means we look around and take stock of our present fruitfulness. It entails looking beside us for critique, help, and wisdom from fellow believers. Most importantly, it means we look up and seek guidance from God’s Word. This is how to be intentional, purposeful, and, as this verse says, wise in the way we walk.

Oh, and did you notice that there are only two kinds of women mentioned here—the wise and the unwise? With its usual bluntness, Scripture makes it clear that there is no third option. We are either wise or unwise. Smart or foolish. And of course, none of us wants to be a fool! Fortunately, the next part of this verse tells us how to avoid this fate: by making the best use of the time.