-stewarding our purpose

I want to thank you all for the feedback and encouragement from our last posts. Also, many thanks to JB for suggesting our next blog topic, stewarding our time/purpose.

There is clearly a major assault by the adversary to distract and dilute us out of our God appointed purpose, and into a hectic, anxiety laden life where true peace is illusive. From irritating illnesses to relational stresses, from fingertip entertainment to pressures to conform to something we are not, we can easily commit massive amounts of time and mental energy on a variety of topics that should not consume as much time as they do. I have found the only way to successfully combat that assault is to understand God's personal design on my life and prioritize that.

Simply put, the key to time management is purpose management. In truth, we have absolutely no chance to adequately manage our time, if we don't first understand, then prioritize our purpose. It's easy to confuse purpose with destiny. Our purpose is where we are, while our destiny is where we are going. Note that purpose comes before destiny. Both are important components of our assignment, mantle or calling in that as we manage our purpose, we are moving, albeit imperceptibly, into our destiny, which is our God breathed assignment. Clear as chocolate pudding? Let's dig in.

Paul writes in Colossians 4:5 "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time". This is key to understanding purpose management and hence time management. Those who are "on the outside" are those who are on the outside of our purpose. The letter of Colossians is a great read on walking in our purpose. The letter emphasizes the priority of our daily commitments to the Godhead, our families, each other and our workplace. Our purpose is the Holy Spirit led things we have said yes to.

A problem develops as we become faithful in what we've said yes to, in that the requests for our time increases. Faithfulness and dependability are important to God and to our families and those we are serving with. After all, everyone wants to rely on people who can be relied on. For people who have developed an internal compass that demands being true to their word, we must learn how and when to say no or we will get overwhelmed. Kris Vallotton once told me "David, I have spent the last 18 years learning how to tell people no, I can't do it, I won't do it" Everybody has great ideas on what we should do with our time. When we stay focused in our purpose, it develops over time into our pre-destined assignment, which we desperately need to pray daily for wisdom on how to steward the promotion. Then when we do say yes, the recipient can count on our very best.

I prioritize my time with the Godhead and to my wife and daughters number 1 and 2 respectively. While there is some degree of flexibility, I begin every day with my ear to the ground, nose to the wind and eyes along the skyline, attentive to the Holy Spirit and try to keep it there. I also listen intently to my wife and daughters. After that, comes the things I have said yes to, clients, friends, the Journey Center, iMatter, writing, studying etc. Admittedly, I have little time for some folks on the inside of my assignment let alone those on the outside. If we lay hold of our purpose and keep an eye on our destiny, we will find the Holy Spirit is ready, willing and able to help us steward His gift of time. Leaning on Him and our close partners we will be much less distracted or diluted and find ourselves while residing in the Prince of Peace.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic and if you would like me to go deeper. Love you all. See you on the streets. #berevealed