Wasting Time

I realized something today. It is so easy to miss the Spoiled By God moments (and lessons) in our daily lives when we are in a mad rush to check every box on our almighty agenda. The opportunity to seize a Spoiled By God moment narrowly escaped me. I had a moderately packed schedule this week. Not uncommon.  I had meetings scheduled each day with more new meetings and rescheduled meetings being added as my week drew to a close. Wednesday morning started out with a team meeting. I reviewed my “Do” list to see where I could squeeze in additional quick-flex meetings in between those preset on my agenda. I manipulated my schedule as best I could to accommodate each person I had to go out to see. One person never showed for the impromptu meeting for which I had to bend my schedule. Then, as I dialed in fifteen minutes late to my teleconference, I learned that the call actually started an hour earlier than I had in my calendar and was now over. Rather than be grateful for the moment to sit and enjoy the company of my teammates/co-workers, I was livid at all the time that I had lost to be able to fit more meetings into my day. My next meeting went according to plan – sort of. I will have to return again in the week (which I did not want to have to do) to get the forms that drove over there to get in the first place.  At 2:15 PM I was on the way to my 2:30 meeting when the 2:30 meeting got cancelled. And get this, I only learned about the cancellation because I sent the person a text message to say I was on the way. Are you kidding me? I could have fit in two more appointments had I been notified of the cancellation earlier. At the last minute, I tried to work in a meeting on the other side of town that I originally rescheduled to Friday because of the 2:30 meeting. Well, since I already rescheduled for Friday, the person that I’d hoped to meet with did not have the paperwork that I planned to meet with her for. At this point I decided that my day would end early. I could feel my bed in the distance – I could squeeze in a quick power nap before I had to pick up my active toddler from daycare. Who knows, I may even indulge myself with chocolate chip cookies and milk – It had been a trying day. I was able to shift an early Thursday morning meeting to my now open timeslot. I thought I would be there for fifteen minutes and then on my way home. An hour and forty-five minutes later I was ending my day at the same time I do every day only to fight traffic caused by an accident right near my intended exit. More delays…more delays…more delays. So, where is the Spoiled By God moment in all of this? The opportunity to rest in the jarring of my schedule. Although my goal was alleviate some of strain for tomorrow, each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34b). Sometimes your schedule will mysteriously clear itself through cancelled and postponed meetings. Perhaps the best thing to do is accept those unplanned vacant spaces in time. Do the one thing you did not schedule into your day – rest in the moment.  Perhaps if I wasn’t so caught up on what planned and unplanned meetings were not taking place, I could have enjoyed the time with my teammates. I could have stolen a moment God, lowered my blood pressure, read my book. That could have been a moment for me if I recognized it. Instead, I spent it frustrated. Tomorrow has enough worries of it’s own.