In the midst of an increasingly busy schedule, I found myself looking at 2 Corinthians 1:8-12 (Thanks Pastor Alvin!):
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly toward you.”
Paul and Timothy learned to trust God because they were stretched far beyond their abilities to the point where they were giving up on life. However, they rejoiced in spite of their woes in Asia because they accomplished their work through the grace of God, not by their own strength or wisdom. That trust in God in their toughest moments brought His favor on them and filled in for their inadequacies.
I’ve found that this has a practical application in my time management. It’s been hard for me to balance out school and work, but I’ve seen how much I need God to get everything done because of it. My way of trusting God in the busyness is reading the Bible and praying about my day before I do anything else, regardless of whether it’s 7am or 10am because I overslept.
Conventional wisdom would say that prioritizing a task that is not urgent or relevant to your work is detrimental to your productivity, but I’ve seen the opposite be true. Although reading about the kings of Judah won’t help me write an essay or calculate function limits, I am more efficient and productive at those tasks when I’ve done some kind of devotion in the morning. Without it, I normally don’t accomplish much.
This doesn’t work because it’s a routine. I have tried many morning routines and scheduling tips, and nothing has produced good results like devotions has. I can only conclude that when you prioritize God and rely on Him, He will make everything else fall neatly into place for you.
I know our first instinct when faced with a challenge is to jump right in and sort things out. However, if we follow Paul and Timothy’s example, trusting God and relying on His ways more than our own, we will see what God can do. Who knows, we might even be able to rejoice over our struggles in the end like they did.