Dear Friends
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Phillipians1: 2)
I have noticed over the past couple of weeks with the easing of the lockdown measures that my life is beginning to get busy again. I‘m not complaining about this, as I have been fortunate during the lockdown to have the physical company of my work colleagues and a routine in my days. On the other hand I have valued the extra time I have had in the evenings and at weekends to spend time in reflection and to rediscover things I enjoy. I worry that I will lose this if I don’t manage my time better.
I turned to the Bible to see what it says about time management. The Gospels repeatedly mention the time Jesus spent in solitude – away from the disciples, the crowds and the business of his ministry. Jesus’s behavior suggests that he was able to manage his time well. God advises us to use our time wisely because there are many distractions and life is short. James (4: 13-14) reminds us that our lives are ‘just a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes’.
Being aware that time is precious has helped me to focus on the things that bring real happiness, peace and purpose to my life: my relationship with God, my family and my relationships with others. I realise I need to balance the many different activities in my life to be able to do justice to them but to be disciplined to free up time to spend with God and to do the things that I enjoy. The Bible tells us to make time for God every day whether in silence, in the beauty of his creation or just in our day-to-day lives.
It seems successful time management comes down to diligence and discipline (Proverbs 21:5). Through prayer and trust in the Lord the bible says we shall receive peace and rest. I have always found peace and comfort in the following verse ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). Why am I worrying! I shall trust the Lord to manage my time from now on.
I’m sure you are all aware of the work that is going on to prepare for the reopening of our church safely for those who wish to attend, and for us at home to continue the online experience. There’s been a lot of talk this week about hotspots, megabytes, 4G, gigabytes – all a foreign language to me, but I want to say how blessed we are to have people with the expertise and enthusiasm to make this happen. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to keep our church running, by many of our fellowship, and I thank God for them.
The churchwardens do hope you are receiving regular communication from members of the leadership or pastoral teams. Please feel free to speak to Roger (078891633429) or myself (07780781839) if you have any questions about anything. Remember the church is open daily between 11 and 3 for private prayer and contemplation. There is hand sanitizer available at the door and guidance on where to sit. Please take time to enjoy the peace and tranquility of our beautiful church again.
I hope, as always, you are all keeping safe and well.
Blessings
Gill
Churchwarden