Back to the Basics of Self

Bernice Wood of Living the Balanced Life , in a blog post here, made this quote:

We are all looking for that magic bullet, that great tip or technique that is going to finally help us get it ALL done, to actually manage our time. The thing is, we can’t really manage time. Time keeps on marching on, no matter what we do. What we are really looking to do is manage our self within our time.

 I've been mulling over that quote, and though I give credit to Bernice for giving me the idea, I will put my own unique spin on it as always.

Some have said that we always have time to do what God has planned for us to do that day. That means if we are perpetually "running out of time", there is something in our day that was not in God's will for us. Ouch!

Jesus set the perfect example for us throughout His life here on Earth. He managed Himself perfectly, therefore He fulfilled God's will perfectly. But what about the rest of us--the ones who are trying to follow after Jesus, but simply get bogged down with the chaos of our inward selves?

I think it's time to get back to the basics. Paul tells us in the Word that we should be content with food and raiment. Those are necessities, and we must manage ourselves well in those areas. In today's world and culture, shelter and love are also necessary for a fulfilled life. I would add a relationship with God and sleep. I think all of us, no matter our lifestyle (SAHM, working-outside-the-home mom, WAHM, single woman, or married without children), have these same basic things that we need to put into our schedules.

As with anything in life, there are extremes on both sides. We can excessively indulge in most of these areas or we can under-indulge to the point of making our life a drudgery rather than the abundant life God promises us.

Though I'm not an expert--just a learner, we will talk about each of these "necessities" in which to manage ourselves this week from both the excessive indulgence side and the other extreme as well.