Are you really THAT busy?
"I'm so busy right now." I have been noticing more than ever these words being the initial response when engaging in conversations. It seems to be the opening line in almost every conversation that I am part of. The comment that closely follows how busy people say they are is, "I cannot believe it is already November, this year flew by!" Not that there is anything wrong with either of these comments, but if our years are flying by due to how busy we are, shouldn't we reevaluate what is happening with our time? Shouldn't we figure out what has made us such busy people?Aside from jobs and (or) school, I took some time to think about what peoples time is commonly filled with. The one main thing I came up with is entertainment, especially in the form of social media, TV, movies and video games. I find that no matter how busy people claim to be, we always have time for these things. I was curious to figure out how much time American people spend on these forms of entertainment; I was shocked, but not surprised, by what I found.Daily Entertainment Averages:4+ hours per day on social media. (Report by: US Department of Labor)5+ hours per day watching TV. (Report by: Watershed Publishing)1+ hours per day playing video games. (Report by: Watershed Publishing)The US Department of Labor says that it collectively adds up to 7.8+ hours per day!Often the people that are saying how busy they are and that their year has flown by are the people that contribute to these high hours in the averages I listed above. As you read this, please ask yourself, "Am I really THAT busy?" Be honest with yourself when you ask that question. Are you really busy due to school, work and other truly productive things in life? Or are you more just going with the flow and allowing your time to be consumed by entertainment?3 things that we should all be doing with our time:1. Be wise with your time."Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12 Time is the one thing that we cannot earn more of, we cannot buy it, aside from eating healthy and exercising, we cannot do anything to make our lives longer. God has numbered our days; He has blessed up with a set amount of time to use. (Job 14:5) Be wise with the time that God has blessed you with.2. Be happy.God says that we should be happy and do good. (Ecclesiastes 3:12) If you aren't happy where you are, something needs to change. Life is too short to not be happy!3. Be intentional.Stop letting your world pass you by. Stop telling yourself how busy you are. God wants us to be intentional with our time, not busy. Do not run aimlessly as someone who is just a live. God has called you to live a fulfilled life. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)Ask yourself these two questions, "Why am I so busy?" and "Where is my time going?" Decide if you are really heading where you want to go in life. If not, it is time to make some changes. It's never too late to change the direction of your life! The best time to plant a tree is 25 years ago; the second best time is today. Plant the seed of becoming a good steward of your time today. Be wise, be happy, and be intentional with your God given time on this earth!