How exciting could it be to “manage my life”? Does it sound a little, well, boring? Yet what’s truly boring is living life in a way that doesn’t work. It gets monotonous trying to use the sharp end of a hammer as a screwdriver or trying to use a calculator to tell you the time of day.
So, what makes life work? Life sure works better when you manage your life according to the rules of reality (i.e., how God wired life to work). Let’s explore what happens if you don’t develop the rhythm of managing your life and what happens when you do.
If I don’t develop the rhythm of managing my life . . .
In the first book of the Bible (Genesis), the Jewish family, only a couple generations into its existence, faced extinction. They just didn’t know it yet. Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel, had twelve sons. One of these sons, Joseph, was Jacob’s favorite because his mother was Jacob’s favorite wife (yes, families in the Bible could be highly dysfunctional). The other brothers hated Joseph, the favored brother, and plotted to kill him. When slave traders came through the area, the brothers decided not to kill Joseph but rather to get some money for him. Joseph found himself bound and on his way to slavery in Egypt.
God has his reasons for allowing even great suffering, and the reason in this case was that Joseph was being sent ahead to Egypt in order to save his family. God had given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, and when the Pharaoh had a strange dream about seven healthy cows being eaten by seven skinny cows, Joseph was summoned. Joseph explained that Egypt and the surrounding nations were about to enjoy seven years of more than enough food, but then get slammed by seven years of famine. “What should we do?” they asked Joseph. He replied,
“Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” (Genesis 41:34–36, NIV)
“This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine.”
So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of managing the food. Meanwhile, the famine hit Canaan, where Joseph’s family realized they would die if they didn’t find food. When they heard things were better in Egypt, the brothers traveled there and found themselves (unknowingly at first) begging their brother for grain. Thankfully, Joseph had already forgiven them and explained to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20, NIV).
Famine is coming for all of us in one way or another. Seasons of sickness will push pause on our ambitions. Not having enough money at the end of the month with bills approaching will make it hard to sleep some nights. Unforeseen family hurt will punch us in the gut. Natural disasters will hit our town without warning. Unexpected layoffs. Relational betrayal. Freak accidents followed by the funeral.
What happens when urgent medical bills meet years of financial irresponsibility? When soul-crushing news comes against a soul you’ve never nourished? When you find yourself needing a job but you haven’t developed the skills or work ethic to be hirable? When your marriage hits hard times but you’ve forgotten how to love your spouse well?
If we don’t take time during the good seasons to prepare for the tough ones, the famine will devastate us. We’ve each been given a body and soul, time and talent, relationships and resources. If we never pause and discover how to manage these gifts wisely, the good things we were given will be gobbled up in coming seasons.
“If we don’t take time during the good seasons to prepare for the tough ones, the famine will devastate us.”
If I do develop the rhythm of managing my life . . .
Some people love the concept of managing their life. They are drawn to podcasts that describe “six habits of extraordinary leaders” or “seven routines for reaching your goals.” They are drawn to the self-help and leadership section at the local Barnes & Noble. They use apps that give them daily motivation to be a continual learner and self-developer.
Then there are those of us who are less motivated by that sort of content. Perhaps we’ve tried some of the methods and found ourselves unable to be consistent. Or perhaps life is just busy and it’s hard to imagine having the time to put more work in (more reading, more listening, etc.) to somehow make the work more manageable in the end.
If you’re not all that excited about the idea of wisely “managing your life,” it might be helpful to know that this is what it really means:
You bring important areas of your life into the light of wisdom to see how you are living them out.
That’s really all we’re talking about. We learn wisdom by listening to wise people, learning from our mistakes, and, most importantly, renewing our minds by regularly taking in God’s Word. There’s even an entire book in the Bible dedicated to teaching wisdom, called Proverbs. Managing your life wisely means periodically bringing important areas of your life into the light of wisdom to reflect on how well they are going.
“Managing your life wisely means periodically bringing important areas of your life into the light of wisdom to reflect on how well they are going.”
So what does this look like in your life? It can mean pausing periodically and asking if you’re treating your body wisely. Are you getting enough rest? Are you getting plenty of fluids, nutrition, and exercise? You only get one body, and your body is incredibly important! How you treat your body can even have a massive effect on how clearly you think and how well you handle stress.
It means pausing and asking if you’re being wise with the money and possessions God has allowed you to have. Do you have an emergency fund set aside so that an unforeseen bill doesn’t feel like a financial emergency? Are you budgeting so that you’re not spending more money than you have (and digging a debt hole that’s going to be hard to climb out of)?
Managing your life wisely means pausing and asking if you’re spending your time sensibly or wasting a ton of it—which you will never get back. Don’t forget that we spend time just as surely as we spend money; we have a limited supply of both, so we need to spend them wisely. Spending your time wisely means you can look back on it with gratitude instead of regret.
It means pausing and asking if you’re developing—or squandering—the abilities and opportunities God gave you. What amazing gifts he has given us in the form of skills and interests! It means exploring your creativity. Sharpening your mind. Learning a trade. Mastering an instrument. Enjoying a sport. Cultivating a hobby.
“It means pausing and asking if you’re developing—or squandering—the abilities and opportunities God gave you.”
It means pausing and asking how your relationships are going. Do you have any unhealthy relationships that are dragging you down from the life God created you to live? Are you neglecting any healthy relationships that could be encouraging you? If you are married, do you periodically bring the marriage into the light of wisdom to ask whether you’re developing the love and commitment it takes to be a faithful spouse?
When you bring these important areas of your life out into the light, sure, there may be moments when you feel a little sheepish—because maybe you realize you’ve been wasting a lot of time or neglecting an important relationship. Light can feel annoying when it exposes something embarrassing. Yet, if you can make it past that threshold, living in the light brings so much clarity and relief. Filling yourself with wise teachings and surrounding yourself with wise people will help you live a life in which you can really breathe. You breathe well because you’re pausing to think and reflect, and you breathe well because of the peace that comes from wise living.
Excerpted from Daniel McCoy’s and Andrew Jit’s Rhythms: How to Live as a Disciple of Jesus.
