I got halfway through writing a post about being busy, and realized I’ve already said what I was trying to say! The introduction reads…
You are miraculously gifted 24 hours x 7 days = 168 hours each week.
Let’s say you truly spend 50 hours actually working, 168 - 50 = 118. And 56 hours sleeping… 118 - 56 = 62 hours per week. That’s nearly nine hours PER DAY! Where is it going?! I would argue that what you do with those hours defines who you are…
“Belief drives behavior.”
So, instead of rehashing it, I want to agree with and then add to it this thought:
“There is more grace in Christ than there is guilt in your calendar.”
Here’s the link to the original post… but come back and keep reading…
Love others. But follow Jesus.
“Busy” is still a decision — but so is surrender.
I stand by what I said…
You still get 168 hours each week. Sleep, work, and errands will consume much of it. But how you spend the rest will reflect what (or who) you treasure. That’s still true. The math still matters.
But grace also matters.
Yes, you may feel stretched thin. And no, you can’t meet every demand placed on you. But God never asked you to. He asked you to walk with Him.
That’s the reset I want to offer here. If I sounded harsh before, hear this now: “There is more grace in Christ than there is guilt in your calendar.”
Still, priorities matter. The Bible never condemns work, rest, or play, but it does call us to clarity. Who are you becoming with the time you’ve been given?
Your first priority is your own relationship with Jesus.
Before you try to meet needs, fulfill roles, or carry others, you must walk in step with Him. Better to go God’s way alone than follow even your most beloved people into destruction. Love them. But follow Him.
Your second priority is to your family.
The people under your roof or under your influence should see firsthand what it means to know God and make Him known.
Not perfection. But faithfulness.
Not performance. But presence.
Then — and only then — we follow Jesus outward, as He said in Acts 1:8:
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Our lives should ripple with witness, starting where we are and extending to wherever He sends us. Whether through work, rest, or recreation — we keep our crosshairs on Christ.
Again: There is more grace in Christ than there is guilt in your calendar.
But here’s the key: we live all of this in view of eternity.
Ecclesiastes strips away our illusions:
Chasing wisdom can feel like chasing wind (1:16–17).
Success + wisdom = still vanity (2:9–11).
Even avoiding foolishness doesn’t spare you from death (2:14–15).
Hard work? Eventually given to someone else (2:20–21).
So why try at all?
Because Ecclesiastes 3:14–15 reminds us:
“I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.”
What God does lasts. What we do, when aligned with Him, carries eternal weight.
So yes — decide what’s important. And do that.
But do it not under pressure or panic, but wrapped in peace.
You will never “make time” for everything. You will always disappoint someone. Just don’t let it be God — or your own soul.
“There is more grace in Christ than there is guilt in your calendar.”
Fear Him. Walk with Him. Be present where He’s placed you. That’s not a productivity system. It’s worship.
And that’s the whole point of time.
Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom.