Eternity in Our Days

"Help!" I cried. "I’m drowning in opportunity. I’m sinking in information. I’m swamped by my schedule."

I had entered into the dreaded quagmire of overcommitment, and I was overwhelmed. It had started innocently enough. My three children had joined in extracurricular activities, which complicated our family calendar. We had gotten a puppy—enough said. My youngest had entered kindergarten, and I responded with an overzealous outburst of school volunteering—on top of fulfilling my church commitments, attending Bible study and volunteering weekly as a crisis pregnancy center counselor.

The problem was, there were simply too many "somethings." Adults today ration their time between family, church, community, work, relationships, personal growth, exercise, recreation and home responsibilities.

Experts swamp our already sinking ships with wave after wave of information designed to improve our spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. Our days should begin with a quiet time of Bible reading and prayer. Our children need plenty of meaningful family time and carefully selected enrichment activities. We should exercise regularly. Our marriages require weekly "date nights."

Close friendships are emotionally important, and participation in a small group is recommended. We should serve in our churches and volunteer in our schools. And don’t forget to read the latest book.

Finally, we need eight hours of sleep every night. I haven’t even mentioned the essentials: earning a living and eating—nutritionally balanced meals, of course.

Yes, we are drowning in opportunity, sinking in information and utterly overscheduled. My personal-priority-setting crisis forced me to reflect on how to make the best use of a 24-hour day.

Eternal value?

I turned to the Bible for guidance in reordering my priorities, and I didn’t find a single verse telling me—specifically—which activity to abandon. In fact, Paul told the Corinthians, " ‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is constructive" (1 Corinthians 10:23).

This was not helpful.

God may not have given specific instructions for our unique situations, but He did provide a benchmark against which we can measure our options. God’s Word consistently encourages us to invest in heavenly treasures and consider the eternal value of our lives. I decided to apply this concept to my time—management problem, so I listed each weekly activity and the hours I spent on it, and then I estimated its eternal value.

I decided things like Bible study, worship and prayer are clearly top priorities and eternally worthy pursuits. Relational activities such as spending time with my husband, children and friends, and raising children to know the Lord have everlasting merit.

But a bit more difficult to classify were activities such as reading, exercising and shopping. Rest and relaxation are necessary, healthy and scriptural, but how much will they count in the end? And finally, there was the "gotta-do-it" category. Chores like laundry, cleaning, fixing the toilet, cutting the grass or working an unfulfilling job sometimes seem unavoidable. But even if I could avoid them, there is still value in responsibly caring for my family and home.

Personally yours

My completed chart presented a visual picture of my time. In this format, my life’s true priorities were obvious. Do I really spend that much time watching television? Yikes!

More encouraging were the many worthwhile pursuits on my list. So I began a healthy assessment of each pursuit and its value relative to my other commitments and to God’s eternal perspective.

For example, I had been tempted to discontinue my volunteer work at the crisis pregnancy center. This was just two hours per week, but I often wondered if I had really helped anyone. There were so many other things I could be doing during those afternoons, yet this commitment was at the top of my list in potential eternal impact. Through the CPC, I had the opportunity to show God’s love to hurting women and share the gospel with some of them. This was two hours well-spent. Something else would have to go.

The gotta-do-it stuff was bugging me. My responsibility to my family required hours of seemingly inconsequential activity, so I struggled to find a way to avoid or minimize these duties. Try as I might, there was no getting around them.

But, gently and graciously, God made it clear that our challenge is not to avoid tasks of little heavenly consequence, but to make them eternally valuable. This simple adjustment in my perspective changed everything and left me pondering just how laundry or toilet fixing can actually have eternal significance.

I know we serve the Lord when we care for the "least of these," little children who create clutter, use their T-shirts as napkins and drink out of every glass in the house. I know there is honor in serving an unappreciative boss. I know we are to do everything, even menial tasks, to the glory of God. I know God is more interested in my character than in my achievements. I know all that, but I was having trouble applying it to my daily life.

Perfect planning

So I made another list. I wondered how Jesus, our model of a godly life, planned His time. I read the gospel of Matthew and noted passages concerning Jesus’ plans or His movement from one place to another, and I soon learned something.

Jesus knew His ultimate purpose on earth. He knew that the cross was His final destination and His resurrection would bring salvation to mankind. Jesus’ death and resurrection were the most important events in human history—and in His life personally.

But most of His other ministry took place along the way. "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee . . ." (Matthew 4:18), He chose Peter and Andrew as disciples. "Now when he saw the crowds . . ." (Matthew 5:1), He preached the Sermon on the Mount. "When he came down from the mountainside . . ." (Matthew 8:1), He healed a leper, and "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd . . ." (Matthew 14:14), He healed the sick and miraculously fed 5,000 people.

Jesus always appeared willing to minister to someone in need. That seemed to be His only plan. I can’t imagine His daily planner saying: "2 p.m.: Preach a famous sermon on a mountain," or "7 p.m.: Serve a miraculous meal for 5,000."

Jesus fixed His eyes firmly on His ultimate destination but not at the expense of needy people along the way. One could even argue that His whole ministry took place on the way to Calvary.

Then what is our ultimate purpose? To grow in relationship with Jesus Christ and serve Him as He leads. Our ultimate destination is eternity in heaven, but our earthly endeavors are opportunities for ministry along the way.

So what about me?

On a more down-to-earth level, the same concept applies. Can I have a meaningful conversation with my son on the way to basketball practice? Can I smile at someone on the way through the grocery checkout line? Can I have grace for a difficult individual on the way to a better relationship? Can I concede, with a smile, to an aggressive driver on my way to a meeting? Can I change my plans on the way to my next "to do" when a friend needs me? If Jesus is our example, then the answer to all those questions must be yes.

Life is full of opportunity. It can be overwhelming to find God’s plan among all the possibilities. Experts will continue to provide good information, and I will continue to apply some of it. But first, I will consider the eternal value of my time and do my best to make it count.

Then, after prayerfully setting priorities and making daily plans, I will look for opportunities to minister to those along the way who, by divine appointment, might need a well-timed smile, a conversation over a cup of coffee or an entry into the left turn lane of a busy road. Life’s little ministry opportunities just might count in the end—more than we’ve ever dreamed.