Can you believe how quickly time has flown? We’re already on Day 30 of the REDEEM Her Phone Time Challenge…that means we just have 10 days left to go…kinda (more on that next week as we look back and look ahead). Over this challenge I’ve heard from so many of you inside the REDEEM Her Time Community that as you’re putting your phone down more, you’re living life more. That’s amazing!
But life as you know, is but vapor…even without our phones keeping us moving at the speed of light, time has a way of passing us by and leaving us wondering- what did I even do with it?
That’s why we need to be intentional with our time to focus on what matters in this season and in light of eternity. Today we’re gonna look at Ecclesiastes to learn how an eternal perspective should direct our phone use and time management as Christian women.
Speaking of living a life that matters…
Are you ready to stop saying you’re gonna do better and be more intentional about following through on the things you say matter- to grow in your faith-walk, prioritize your family & friends, grow your impact & service, steward your resources, invest in your wellness & passions, keep your home organized…
NOT feel stretched beyond your limits most of the time…and NO LONGER wonder where to start to get it all done?
I get it. I know what it feels like to be easily DISTRACTED by all-the-things, then OVERCOMMIT to the expectations of others (and yourself) and find you miss your time with God & those you love day after day (or only show up half-present)
How good would it feel to have a CUSTOMIZED FRAMEWORK to consistently show up for what you say matters and a way to lovingly say NO when you’re filled to capacity…
All while focusing on who God is calling you to be in this season.
That’s why I created THE REDEEM HER TIME COACHING PROGRAM where I’ll teach you how to use Faith-Led Life Planning + Time Management to be More Present as a Busy Christian Woman
With this group coaching program, you’ll be able to know where God is calling you to FOCUS in each area of your life & make the BEST USE of TIME with a personalized plan built around your PRIORITIES…
And NO LONGER feel like you never have enough time!
In fact, you’ll walk away with CONSISTENCY & INTENTION, a deeper FAITH-WALK & PURPOSE and sustainable SCHEDULES & HABITS that fit into YOUR BUSY LIFE.
So if you’re ready to be more Present and make the best use of your time with faith as the foundation and the simple SYSTEM + SUPPORT you need to finally follow through…
LET’S DO THIS TOGETHER.
I have 10 EARLY BIRD SPOTS open to start with us in APRIL…but I gotta warn ya- after this round, it will NEVER be this price again. When they’re filled, they’re filled.
Wanna Learn More & Grab Your Spot?
I give you permission to push pause, or multitask while you listen (like we talked about on Episode 119) and head on over to Redeemhertime.com/coaching where you’ll discover God really has given you ALL the time you need!
We only get this one life here on earth and a finite amount of time…so look carefully then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time- cuz it goes by in a flash.
Which takes us back to today’s topic about eternity and how that directs (or should direct) your phone use and time use.
We’re gonna be hanging out primarily in Ecclesiastes 3:11, but let me zoom out to give you the context in verses 10-13…
Wait- first let me just preface this by telling you that this section in my ESV online Bible (look at me using my phone as a tool to love God and His Word more and more…are you too?) is titled The God-Given Task.
Yes- this life is an assignment from God that we are to steward well.
Here’s what it says…
I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in the hearts of men, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil- this is God’s gift to man.
It’s that phrase He has put eternity in the heart of men that I wanna focus on today…cuz if you’ve been around this Redeem Her Phone-Time Challenge or even the podcast for a while, undoubtedly you’ve heard me say that we want to make the best use of our time in this season…and in light of eternity.
So what exactly does Him putting eternity in the hearts of man mean?
Let’s dive in….and then I’ll share 3 ways an eternal perspective should direct your phone use and time management.
Genesis 1 makes it very clear that God made man in His own image- both male and female He created us to reflect Him. And the fact that He gave humans a spirit that will last into eternity sets us apart from the rest of creation.
That eternal spirit gives us a sense that there’s more to life than just what we see in the here and now.
And like it says in Romans 1, whether people acknowledge Him as God or not, He has clearly shown his eternal power and divine nature to them ever since the creation of the world,
Even the agnostic, or the ungodly, have a sense that this is not all there is….and are always searching for more.
But as believers, we have confirmation this is true and that if we are saved through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus who paid the penalty for our sins, we will spend eternity in heaven with Him. And yet, we often still try to fill that void with the things of this world in an attempt to find fulfillment.
So here are 3 ways from the book of Ecclesiastes this knowing He put in us about eternity should change how we use our time (and our phones) today…
- Life is a Season. Just as our 80, 90 or 100 years on earth is a blip on the timeline of eternity past to eternity present, our physical life as we know it here on earth is just one tiny speck in history separated into seasons that do not last, but come and go…and sometimes come back again.
The author of Ecclesiastes just told us this earlier in the chapter when he says…
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven Ecclesiastes 3:1
In fact, Solomon just finished listing quite a few seasons of life in verses 2-8 including a time to be born and a time to die, at time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up, a time to weap and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
How many of those seasons can you resonate with? Probably most if not all. This is part of life in a broken world due to the consequences of sin. But the good news is, these seasons don’t all hit at the same time… and they don’t last forever. This too shall pass, including the struggles of life on Earth.
When we have a sense of eternity beyond this life, we can have a right perspective in both the joyful and the sorrowful, knowing it is just a season and for a time. And better yet, you will spend eternity in the presence of God which cannot compare with anything in this life.
So knowing life is a season, a series of them, should direct how we use our time and our phones…will what we seek truly fill us up for eternity? Most definitely not. So don’t waste what God has for you in this season and in the season to come.
- Life is a Vapor. This concept is all over Ecclesiastes as Solomon tries in vain to fill the void in his life with things of this earth- riches, wives, power, wisdom…and yet without success because none of it lasts. Only God can fill that empty part in our hearts.
In Ecclesiastes 6:12 he says,
For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?
If this life is only temporary, not only should that change our perspective on how we go through the seasons of it, but how we invest the time we have been given. And here’s where it comes back to our conversation on Episode 110 around whose kingdom are you building- we’re wasting our time and energy to build things that won’t last. When you look at where the majority of your time is spent (especially when your phone is in hand), is it in light of eternity and with the fact in mind that this life is but a breath?
James 4:4 also reminds us that we do now know what tomorrow will bring… “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” So why do we live like tomorrow is all there is?
- Life is a Gift. Even though this life is a season and only temporary, it is still a gift from God. That means He wants us to use it well, otherwise He would not have given it to us. It’s a choice to have a joyful perspective even in the midst of those difficult seasons and knowing that it will not last…and then we can enjoy the gifts God has given us.
As we read in Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 “There is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live, also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil.”
That’s not to say we should waste this life we have on the meaningless things of this world, binging every season of the newest show or building up our followers to feel significant, but to not be miserable in the midst of it either- which often comes from comparison as we look around at the lives of others.
What season are you in right now? Seek to focus on what God has for you in it instead of wasting your time wishing you were out of it. Trust that He makes all things beautiful in its time since life is a season.
What things are you looking to fill you? Remember that this earth will pass and the things of it will fade away. So instead of settling into complacency, live with a healthy sense of urgency knowing life is but a vapor.
What gifts has God given you in this life? Stop looking at what He has given others, and focus on who + what is right in front of you to enjoy. Steward your time and intentions well, knowing life is a gift from Him.
There’s freedom in knowing that this world is not what we’re made for- we’re made for eternity.
And our phones are a great reminder that the things of this world we spend so much time seeking after are fleeting and do not fill us up, so why do we give them so much of our precious time and attention?
The meaninglessness of this life that Solomon reflected on in Ecclesiastes should summon us to seek God and eternity even more.
Do you ever wonder about what things will be in heaven? It’s a question we often ask as kids, but it’s ok to still ask as adults- will there be ice cream in heaven? Will there be birthdays in heaven? Will we celebrate Christmas and Easter in heaven? And so on…
One thing I can guarantee is not in heaven, at least I have a pretty good hunch it won’t be, is our phones (and our calendars for that matter). But even if our devices and schedules were to be there, the beauty is we’d no longer have a battle with our human nature to exercise self-control with how we use them. How do I know? Because everything will be directed towards the worship of Him, not ourselves or other people, and to build His Kingdom, not our own.
So while we still have breath in our lungs, let’s commit to steward our devices and use the time He has given us to prepare for that day when He will come again and take us to be with Him for eternity.
What a gift to go through this life with eternity in our hearts.
I feel sad for those who think this is all there is, because they will be sorely disappointed (and dare I say surprised) when eternity comes knocking and they are not ready and realize they wasted this life on what does not matter. Let’s commit as followers of Christ to not keep the fact that we will be in eternity one way or another to ourselves and share the truth of the Gospel with those who have not yet called Him LORD in their life.
Wanna pause and thank Him with me?
Dear God-
You are eternal. Thank you for creating us in your image and putting eternity in our hearts so that we have a knowing that this life is not all there is. We rejoice that one day you will come for your people and take us to be with you forever. And while we are still here on this earth, give us an eternal perspective that life is a season that will come and go, that life is a vapor that will not last and that life is a gift that you want us to enjoy. When we are tempted to use this life to find fulfillment, remind us that we will only be filled in You and that your truth is what will last. May we steward our time and our phones each day to prepare us for that day and share the truth with those around us. And may we long for You more than anything in this world, cuz only you will last. In Jesus’s name we pray- Amen.
Just gotta say- if this world is not our home… let’s not roll out the welcome mat and get comfortable.
That’s all the more why you will want to make the best use of your time in this life in this season and in light of eternity, so be sure to grab an EARLY BIRD spot inside the REDEEM Her Time Coaching Program to create an eternal perspective that shapes how you manage your time.
Go to redeemhertime.com/coaching for all the details and to grab your spot.
Thanks for joining me for this episode and until next time, remember…
You DO have ALL the time you need to do ALL He has called you to.
Be available to who + what matters most in this season and in light of eternity…
Cuz you are here for Such a Time as This.
Binge the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Challenge Series
Ep 105 No Time? The #1 Tip to Find 1-4 Hours in your Day for Better Time Management
Ep 106 Distracted by Your Phone? 2 Key Steps for Christian Women to Overcome Digital Distraction
Ep 107 Wish You Could Break-up with Your Phone? 3 Steps to Start Setting Healthy Screen-Time Boundaries
Ep 108 Don’t Live on Good Intentions. 4 Steps to Create a Personalized Phone-Time Plan to Prioritize What Matters
Ep 109 Wish your Phone wasn’t so Distracting? 5 Tips to Dumb-down your Smartphone to get more Time in your Day
Ep 110 3 Steps to Build the Kingdom of God with your Phone-Time as a Busy Christian Woman
Ep 111 Put it down. 5 NO Phone Zones for Better Time Management
Ep 112 Is your Phone Shaping You? 3 Questions to Ask to Be Transformed by God Instead
Ep 113 5 Speed Bumps You can Create to Make your Phone Less Accessible and Better Manage your Time
Ep 114 Don’t be a Hypocrite. 3 Steps to Redeem your Phone-Time (and heart) as a Christian Woman
Ep 115 Download these 5 Apps to Love God More and Make Better Use of Your Time
Ep 116 4 Things that are Better that Should Make you Put Down Your Phone, Pt 1
Ep 117 Download these 5 Apps to Love Others More and Make Better Use of Your Phone-Time
Ep 118 4 Things from the Psalms that are Better that Should Make you Put Down Your Phone, Pt 2
Ep 119 5 Times in Your Day it’s Good to Multitask. Use Your Phone to Grow as a Christian Women
Visit the REDEEM Her Time Website https://redeemhertime.com
> Join the REDEEM Her Time Community (did I mention it’s FREE?!)
> Get the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Guide + Screensaver
> Schedule a free 15 Min Strategy Session
> Submit a question or comment
>>> or DO ALL-THE-ABOVE!
P.S. And don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts to get your name in the drawing for $100 OFF the REDEEM Her Time Coaching Program…coming soon!
