Wasting time

How often do you waste time?

Wasting time can come in lots of different forms and in varying degrees of wastefulness. Ranting on a blog, reading rants, scouring Facebook for the latest pics and updates, watching meaningless TV shows, playing online games. We can always make our excuses for not doing what we need to do and do the things that are less productive or unnecessary.

As a procrastinator of the highest level, I've found that one can waste time and still manage to appear to be productive. Sometimes not doing the thing that needs to be done in favor of anything else is nothing more than just plain old wasting time.

So what important things to you put off while doing things that are unimportant?
What are your go-to excuses for not doing what needs to be done?
Are they good enough to really work or do they only work because you allow them to work?

We can even waste time and put off important conversations by engaging in small talk and avoiding meaningful dialogue with people that we encounter on a regular basis. A recent testimony by a missionary friend in a foreign country made this very clear. While she had determined that the conversation she was having was not leading her to talk about Jesus (the real purpose of their visit), another member of the party reminded her that Jesus was the purpose of the meeting and asked when she was going to ask their host about Him.

Sometimes we miss those opportunities because we haven't made the decision that we are going to ask about Jesus, and sometimes it's because we decide that the time isn't right (even though the time has nothing to do with it). I have to admit that this has been me...most of the time. I need that friend to whisper the question, "When are you going to tell them about Jesus?"

Maybe I just need to pay attention to the voice in my heart that asks the question; the voice that is drowned out by all of the noise of the world around me--around us. It's a little depressing to look back at 2013 and see all of the time and opportunities that have been wasted. If 2014 is going to be better, I'm going to need your help. I'm going to need you to be the friendly (but insistent) voice that asks the question, "When are you going to tell them about Jesus?"

I'll pass on my gentle reminders to you, as well. We can work together to stop wasting precious time and make sure that people know that God loves them and Jesus died for them.

John <><