time

     As I lay here on my unmade bed amidst endless piles of clothing, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by this disaster of a room.  It's ironic, however, that I have let my room get so disorganized because those who know me best would most likely describe me as someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  It's a problem, really, and it has taken over many areas of my life.  I'm a perfectionist but as of late, I have started to question why.  As Amy and I shared one of our typical "I called you to tell you one simple piece of information, but 50 minutes and 48 seconds later we are still talking about who knows what" phone calls this evening, we joked about how tonight was the first night either one of us had spent an evening at home in the past two months.  We joked about how neither one of us make good use of our time and that if we were actually to prioritize the things in our lives, our rooms might not look like the Tasmanian Devil just paid each one of us a visit.  But rather than taking a simple 45 minutes to clean my room, here I am writing about it instead.  After all, the title of  my blog is "a thought for today, an action tomorrow." So I'll think about doing it today and maybe tomorrow I'll actually get around to cleaning it.

     *Side note: That is not AT ALL what the title of my blog implies that you should do with your life.  I just can't help but be a smart aleck sometimes, even if it is in response to myself.

     But I am writing about it because despite the stress of the unorganized piles of clothing and the misplaced shoes, I relate this mess to my life.  As I stated earlier, I have begun to question why I feel the need to strive to be perfect in every aspect of my life when in reality I know that no one is perfect, save it be the Lord, Jesus Christ.  What I am learning is that finding time to spend with close friends and family is much more important than making sure that the clothes in my closet are color coordinated.  I spend so much time wishing that I was older, more accomplished and closer to getting on with my life than I am right now.  But I am starting to realize that getting on with my life doesn't start when I graduate from college, or get married, or have a family.  Getting on with my life starts right now.  Getting on with my life starts by spending time with the people I love and care about.  Getting on with my life starts by taking chances and deciding to find the good in whatever the outcomes may be.

     Rex W. Allred said, "The challenge to better utilize our time grows larger and larger as we take on more of life's responsibilities and leadership roles.  By seeking to master the separate skills that relate to our personal effectiveness, we will be able to meet this challenge.  We will be able to strengthen our contribution to the Lord's work, our impact as leaders, and our faithfulness in managing carefully one of the most important resources given to us by the Lord in this mortal life - time."  So I challenge you today to begin "getting on with your lives" and remember that it isn't about how much time you have, it's about what you do with the time you are given that makes all the difference.