O
olderisgood62
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Ecclesiastes
(3:1) *To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:*
(3:2) *A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;*
(3:3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;*
(3:4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;*
(3:5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;*
(3:6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;*
(3:7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;*
(3:8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Life is a trade off. We spend our lives trading the one resource we all have, though each of us in the end really have differing amounts. We all have the resource of time. We use that resource to obtain virtually every thing we end up with in life.*
Really the most obvious thing we trade time for is money. Which we use to get the resources we need to live in this world. Really though the thing that gets me is as I search for the right way to trade my time for resources, it brings to my attention of how others around me trade their resource of time. And honestly I have to say as a whole, mankind takes this resource very much for granted. They flippantly waste so much of it. Honestly I am just as guilty of that.*
I think the thing that gets me the most is how we can convince ourselves that we can trade our time for some wasteful things and justify it by using that time at a point when "we can't do anything else".*
The prime example of this, how many people play hours of video games?I know, who doesn't? I can honestly say that that particular time burner is not something I do a lot of. In my opinion they are designed to do two things. The first is to simply irritate you to the point that you become obsessed with "beating the game" The second thing they are designed to do is cheat. They cheat so that you become irritated to the point that you become obsessed with "beating the game"*
I find it rather "sadly amusing" the way that some people justify the time they trade for this activity. "I play these games at night when I cant do anything else". Fair enough, but how long into the night do they do this? If your up until 3 AM trying to beat that game, what happens later? You go to sleep at maybe 3:30, the average human, it has been determined, needs 8 hours of sleep, this puts your wake up time at 11:30. Hmm, half of your "daylight hours" were just traded for something that was intended to be done at night. That time really wasn't used up the night before, you just tried to add more hours yesterday and ended up getting them from today.*
One of the biggest distractions I deal with stems from that type of behavior. I personally do not spend a lot of time playing those games that have developed through modern technology. I just don't get the point. However there are more than just games that stem from modern technology. I am beginning to think that one of the stupidest things man has developed was the "smart phone". Not long ago there was a commercial that the catch phrase was "The stupid things people do with smart phones". Those things really boil down to nothing more than distractions.*
It is possible for these distractions to effect us even if we are not actively involved in them. I have found that as people are distracted with those things possible through the use of this technology they are not fully aware of things around them. As they are playing or texting or talking on the phone they do not notice what they are doing at the same time. They wander around picking up and putting down things, it is no wonder that at times it is virtually impossible to find something, because someone has picked it up to "diddle" with it while talking on the phone. Then their attention is caught by something else in another place. They then put down what they were diddling with and pick up the next thing and continue wandering. No wonder it is possible to find the milk in the entertainment center and the car keys in the fridge!
Then there is the noise distractions that are inevitable. You can be sure that during these exchanges over the phone there will be resulting emotional releases. The occasional raised voices or most commonly some very heartfelt and loud laughter that can and will be heard through several rooms. As one is trying to focus as I do at these times it would seem that no matter where I try to develop a quiet place the next room is the one that becomes the favorite hangout for everyone else.*
Three just such incidences this morning. I headed for my office to start this. My office just happens to have an adjoining door to the downstairs bathroom. The bathroom was occupied by a mother and crying baby, well the office isn't going to be very quiet with that next door. So grab my coffee and retreat to my bedroom. About half way through my wife talking on the phone and wandering around attempting to multitask sets down on the bed and continues her conversation on the phone. As I sit there observing this morning about seven minutes later she looks over and says to me, while still on the phone, "OH! Is this bothering you?". Now is not the time to truthfully answer that one! So the usual,"no, I guess not". Well I guess I will get on my work duds and try the office again. Within five minutes beyond the door from the office that leads to the living room begins another round of laughter from my wife! She is really getting her morning encouragement from that conversation with her friend! Time to head back to the quiet of the bed room. Uh oh this morning is a game of tag! Wife just found me back in the bedroom while enjoying another round of laughter. Back to the office, and, well my son has decided to grace the morning with his presence, in the adjoining bathroom, I hope he had that aimed in the right place, because that sounded a bit bad! My first thought was why did you walk right past the upstairs bathroom to come sit in the one right next to me? Oh yeah, bet he's texting his girl. The joys of family life!
As I continue my search for the best use of my time I am really fully aware of what is actually taking place. These distractions are really nothing more than Satan fighting against my search for what is right for me to trade my time for in an effort to achieve what God wants me to with the time he has allowed me. Satan can and will use every thing he can to delay progress in this area. It can cause no little amount of frustration that can quickly develop into irritation and if not recognized will soon result in an unexceptable emotional display. ANGER
Again I find myself running over my allotted time. But I must add that in-spite of this seeming round of complaining God has shown me his humor. He has given me this outlet so rather than releasing my irritation on my family God let me release it to him here. He even added some amusing literation that I hope as any read this they can see. God wants us to have joy through our trials. Even the most everyday of commonly occurring ones.*
That joy isn't being able to laugh at these every day trials. It is having the attitude of continuing to do what is right even when things around you aren't. Not letting them get you down, just,
"go on go on, go on go on go on, go on go on" (not sure if I got that right)
But being able to laugh at those things sure doesn't hurt!
(3:1) *To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:*
(3:2) *A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;*
(3:3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;*
(3:4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;*
(3:5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;*
(3:6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;*
(3:7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;*
(3:8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Life is a trade off. We spend our lives trading the one resource we all have, though each of us in the end really have differing amounts. We all have the resource of time. We use that resource to obtain virtually every thing we end up with in life.*
Really the most obvious thing we trade time for is money. Which we use to get the resources we need to live in this world. Really though the thing that gets me is as I search for the right way to trade my time for resources, it brings to my attention of how others around me trade their resource of time. And honestly I have to say as a whole, mankind takes this resource very much for granted. They flippantly waste so much of it. Honestly I am just as guilty of that.*
I think the thing that gets me the most is how we can convince ourselves that we can trade our time for some wasteful things and justify it by using that time at a point when "we can't do anything else".*
The prime example of this, how many people play hours of video games?I know, who doesn't? I can honestly say that that particular time burner is not something I do a lot of. In my opinion they are designed to do two things. The first is to simply irritate you to the point that you become obsessed with "beating the game" The second thing they are designed to do is cheat. They cheat so that you become irritated to the point that you become obsessed with "beating the game"*
I find it rather "sadly amusing" the way that some people justify the time they trade for this activity. "I play these games at night when I cant do anything else". Fair enough, but how long into the night do they do this? If your up until 3 AM trying to beat that game, what happens later? You go to sleep at maybe 3:30, the average human, it has been determined, needs 8 hours of sleep, this puts your wake up time at 11:30. Hmm, half of your "daylight hours" were just traded for something that was intended to be done at night. That time really wasn't used up the night before, you just tried to add more hours yesterday and ended up getting them from today.*
One of the biggest distractions I deal with stems from that type of behavior. I personally do not spend a lot of time playing those games that have developed through modern technology. I just don't get the point. However there are more than just games that stem from modern technology. I am beginning to think that one of the stupidest things man has developed was the "smart phone". Not long ago there was a commercial that the catch phrase was "The stupid things people do with smart phones". Those things really boil down to nothing more than distractions.*
It is possible for these distractions to effect us even if we are not actively involved in them. I have found that as people are distracted with those things possible through the use of this technology they are not fully aware of things around them. As they are playing or texting or talking on the phone they do not notice what they are doing at the same time. They wander around picking up and putting down things, it is no wonder that at times it is virtually impossible to find something, because someone has picked it up to "diddle" with it while talking on the phone. Then their attention is caught by something else in another place. They then put down what they were diddling with and pick up the next thing and continue wandering. No wonder it is possible to find the milk in the entertainment center and the car keys in the fridge!
Then there is the noise distractions that are inevitable. You can be sure that during these exchanges over the phone there will be resulting emotional releases. The occasional raised voices or most commonly some very heartfelt and loud laughter that can and will be heard through several rooms. As one is trying to focus as I do at these times it would seem that no matter where I try to develop a quiet place the next room is the one that becomes the favorite hangout for everyone else.*
Three just such incidences this morning. I headed for my office to start this. My office just happens to have an adjoining door to the downstairs bathroom. The bathroom was occupied by a mother and crying baby, well the office isn't going to be very quiet with that next door. So grab my coffee and retreat to my bedroom. About half way through my wife talking on the phone and wandering around attempting to multitask sets down on the bed and continues her conversation on the phone. As I sit there observing this morning about seven minutes later she looks over and says to me, while still on the phone, "OH! Is this bothering you?". Now is not the time to truthfully answer that one! So the usual,"no, I guess not". Well I guess I will get on my work duds and try the office again. Within five minutes beyond the door from the office that leads to the living room begins another round of laughter from my wife! She is really getting her morning encouragement from that conversation with her friend! Time to head back to the quiet of the bed room. Uh oh this morning is a game of tag! Wife just found me back in the bedroom while enjoying another round of laughter. Back to the office, and, well my son has decided to grace the morning with his presence, in the adjoining bathroom, I hope he had that aimed in the right place, because that sounded a bit bad! My first thought was why did you walk right past the upstairs bathroom to come sit in the one right next to me? Oh yeah, bet he's texting his girl. The joys of family life!
As I continue my search for the best use of my time I am really fully aware of what is actually taking place. These distractions are really nothing more than Satan fighting against my search for what is right for me to trade my time for in an effort to achieve what God wants me to with the time he has allowed me. Satan can and will use every thing he can to delay progress in this area. It can cause no little amount of frustration that can quickly develop into irritation and if not recognized will soon result in an unexceptable emotional display. ANGER
Again I find myself running over my allotted time. But I must add that in-spite of this seeming round of complaining God has shown me his humor. He has given me this outlet so rather than releasing my irritation on my family God let me release it to him here. He even added some amusing literation that I hope as any read this they can see. God wants us to have joy through our trials. Even the most everyday of commonly occurring ones.*
That joy isn't being able to laugh at these every day trials. It is having the attitude of continuing to do what is right even when things around you aren't. Not letting them get you down, just,
"go on go on, go on go on go on, go on go on" (not sure if I got that right)
But being able to laugh at those things sure doesn't hurt!
