Are 24 hours enough?

Beyond time management

By Catharine S. Brant

One day I stopped at a photo shop to have some pictures enlarged. The clerk, unsure of what my reaction would be, let me know that one of their machines was off-line but that they could have my items for me the next day. I assured her I could wait until tomorrow. The clerk looked relieved. She said most people want their orders now. She was glad the wait wouldn't bother me.

Little did she know that I used to be one of those people she dreaded. I would place an order and expect it yesterday. My conversation with the sales clerk made me realize how far I had come.

For many years I had worked in business while raising a family and attending evening college. During that period I constantly felt stressed by time pressure. I went from one role to another always trying to catch up.

I turned to a book to learn how to manage my time better. There are many books on this subject to choose from. But a college professor once told me that, in general, many of the suggested methods are only helpful to a point because their basic premise is that time is limited. Therefore, the conclusion reached is always based on limitation.

The book I was reading had a different premise. It's called Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This book gave me an entirely different perspective. As I studied it along with the Bible, I began to realize that we can control our life experiences and activities. We do not need to accommodate pressure or stress. The book states, for example, that "... Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded. This unfolding is God's day, and 'there shall be no night there'" (p. 584).

When we correctly identify ourselves as the image, or idea, of the one God, we understand that man is governed by the law of God. We no longer look to a limited, material concept of man as the truth. Christ Jesus provides a guide we can follow: "Seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). "These things" can be thought of as what we need to do, where we need to be, and when we need to be there. Following Jesus' directive to put God first frees us from stress and its various effects. In God's day there is time to do whatever we need to do, and no right task is forgotten.

I have been striving to put God first in my life for many years. The results have been wonderful. Impatience, fear, and indifference toward others have fallen away. I have learned not to give in to ungodlike feelings or thoughts. Putting God first welcomes His guidance in all areas of my life.

In God's day there is time to do whatever we need to do, and no right task is forgotten.

How does this help overcome stress? I have found that I no longer need to rely on my own ideas or on the opinions of others to guide my day. There are still certain tasks that are necessary to accomplish, but I view the tasks differently. I see God as my true employer, both assigning the task and providing the intelligence, energy, and time required to complete it. This acknowledgment brings harmony to every circumstance.

The stress or push to hurry is not the natural status of man, God's idea. We can demonstrate our freedom from this pressure with the confidence that God's government controls everything in the right way and at the right time.

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