Surviving Your Schedule

Written by Rick Warren

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“An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.” Proverbs 17:24, TEV

Do you ever get to the end of your day and think “Did I accomplish anything today?” Where does all the time go?

If you don’t master your schedule, it will master you. Here are three suggestions from the Bible for reducing the stress of your schedule:

Line up your priorities. Obviously, you don’t have time to do everything. You must make choices. You must decide what’s really important and what isn’t. Take some time to consider the direction of your life.
- “It is stupid to waste time on useless projects” Proverbs 12:11, TEV
- “You may make your plans, but God directs your actions” Proverbs 16:9, TEV

Lighten up your attitude. Do you really have to do everything on your to-do list? No one is holding a gun to your head. A lot of your stress is self-imposed. The Bible says that God gave us humor as a stress reliever.
- “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up” Proverbs 12:25, NLT
- “A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away” Proverbs 14:30, NLT
- “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” Proverbs 17:22, NLT

Look up to God. Stress is always a warning light that you’ve taken your focus off God and are looking at your problems from your limited viewpoint. I believe the single greatest cause of stress is this: We take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough!

Need more time in your schedule?
- “Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short” Proverbs 10:27, NLT
- “Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children” Proverbs 14:26, NLT

Question: Most people feel like they never have enough time … what do you find yourself spending most of your time doing?

About this Author: Rick Warren

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2 Responses to “Surviving Your Schedule”

  • sharon says:

    sorry about the spelling didn’t read it before i sent iit

  • sharon says:

    i spend most of my time taling care of my grand children husband and helping my children or others. sometimes my house work doesn’t get done or laundry might take two days but i go to church twice aweek taking grand children and sometime my husband and i take some of their friends along some of them have never been to church before and most likely never would so i concerder that time well spent

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