In the fuss over how the creation of Earth life happened, we’ve
lost track of one of the Genesis story’s most powerful lessons—how
to manage our time and talents well.
In Genesis, we are given a detailed explanation of the creative
process. God accomplished his goal without getting behind or wasting any effort.
Best of all, the project was not only successful, but also deeply satisfying.
After He finished the last step, God looked at all He had made and saw that it
was very good, so we know that He felt fulfilled by what He had done with His
time.
Isn’t this what we want with our own lives, to accomplish our
goals and be satisfied without overwhelming or stressing ourselves out? But how
often do we find ourselves saying and hearing: “My calendar is so full I
don’t even know where to start!”; “I used to like waking up,
but these days I just want to sleep in”; “Make that a double latte
with an extra shot of espresso”; “Make that a double martini with
a twist”; “You have 23 voice mail messages”; “You have
68 new emails in your inbox.”
Reviewing your schedules can help you the way annual check-ups can.
Sometimes you get a clean bill of health and sometimes you need more care, but
you always feel better knowing you’ve checked all the moving parts. God
gives you a framework to do a simple and systematic life check-up with the seven
principles that are illustrated by the seven steps of His creation story.
The Creation Story’s Seven Steps
The Bible tells us that in the beginning, the world was formless
and empty. It’s as if God is sitting in front of a blank computer screen
with a big term paper due the next week, knowing where He is headed but needing
to get over the hurdle of putting that first paragraph on paper! So God tackles
building the universe one step at a time with His Genesis plan:
- Day 1: Light is separated from darkness.
- Day 2: Water is divided into fresh water in the sky and
salt water in the ocean.
- Day 3: Seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees are planted
in rich soil.
- Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars are given regular cycles.
- Day 5: Fish and birds fill the ocean and air.
- Day 6: Land animals and humans are given specific jobs.
- Day 7: God successfully finishes and reviews His work.
Why do these seven steps create a successful outcome? Here are four
reasons: First, God has a clear goal in mind. He wants to make the universe
a hospitable place for humans, and formless and empty won’t work. Second,
each step focuses on one problem at a time. God doesn’t say to
Himself, “Well, this universe isn’t working. Maybe I should move,
change jobs, and add a new hobby all at the same time!” Third, the order
is deliberate. The plants come before the fish, which come before the
bears. Getting the order of steps right saves God a lot of missteps and wasted
effort. And fourth, all seven steps are completed. If God had stopped
on Day Five, there would be no people, who are the point of the project in the
first place!
Too often we procrastinate starting a project because we’re
not sure it’s the right project for us. Or we jump back and forth between
too many projects at once. Or we jump ahead to do something that we then need
to redo later because our premature work wasn’t what the project really
needed. Or we stop short of finishing what we start, having done most of the work
but losing heart just before we see the benefit.
A group of students who didn’t complete their senior theses
were polled on how much they had done before they dropped their work; on average,
students had completed 90 percent of their thesis before dropping it! God has
given us the model of the Genesis plan to help with problems like this,
but how do we translate His act of creating insects into helping us finish a senior
thesis?
Applying the Seven Steps
When we study the Genesis creation story, we find eternal
time management principles behind its mechanics. Obviously nothing we do is of
the same magnitude as creating the whole universe, but God’s principles
for how He managed His time can help us manage our projects and schedules, too.
Those principles cover seven areas of our lives:
- Priorities—Decide what’s important.
- Acceptance—Accept who you are.
- Environment—Go where you’ll grow.
- Schedule—Recognize life’s rhythms.
- Resources—Enjoy what you have.
- Skills—Offer your best.
- Dreams—Refresh and reflect.
Take a look at those seven areas of life management and apply the
principles to your unique situation in the same order God applied them to His
situation.
Jesus said to His disciples, “Then you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.” People are often surprised to learn that
quote belongs to Jesus and not Benjamin Franklin or Abraham Lincoln! Jesus reminds
us that a little honest self-review goes a long way toward achieving what we want
most: a life that has a positive impact on others and deep satisfaction for ourselves.
So, let’s get started!
What About Me?
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you get ready to review
how well your time choices reflect your goals and desires: How does it make me
feel to review my time management and life choices? How valid is it to look at
God’s decision-making process as my model? What projects haven’t I
completed? How close are they to being done? What has kept me from finishing them?
What are possible reasons that I don’t see the truth about myself? What
are practical ways I can overcome those reasons? What am I hoping to learn from
the Genesis plan? PE
