In my line of work
things can get hectic. Prices go up and down, sometimes within a matter of
minutes, and my team and I constantly need to be on our toes to make sure we
adapt to the ever-changing markets. Weather, housing reports, global news,
transportation issues, and even woodland creatures can drastically interrupt
our missions, and if we are not careful, our days get away from us and we miss
what we set out to accomplish.

When the phones were
ringing off the hook and the stress was impossible to hide, I had a manager who
would step out on the sales floor and state this simple message. He would tell
us that we could either manage our day or the day would manage us. In the heat
of the moment, this statement usually ruffled my feathers, but when I had the
time to step back and think about these simple words, the message it portrayed
made a lot of sense.

What if we
incorporated this statement into our daily lives with God? What if we were
cognizant of the mission he has for us, instead of letting the distractions of
the world dictate what we do or do not accomplish? Would we feel more
connected, would we take more time to help one another, and would our days be
more fulfilling?

The evils of this
world will do anything they can to manage our days. They will use social media,
reality television, long work hours, and violence to keep us separated and
disjointed. They will use fear, solidarity, hatred, and depression to wear us
down. And they will do anything they can to make sure the interruptions keep us
from spending time with our families and God. Before we know it, the day ends,
just like every day ends, with a feeling of weariness and fatigue caused by
allowing the day to manage us.

So, how can we make
sure we manage our days instead of allowing them to manage us? First, we can
start our day with a prayer. We can ask God to help us stay on the path he has
laid out before us, and to keep our eyes open and our hearts soft so that we
recognize those daily miracles he bestows upon us. When the day gets hectic, we
can take a deep breath, slow down, and remember that our mission is much
greater than whatever the day is bogging us down with. And we can set aside
time, each day, to help those in need and spread God’s messages of love and
unity. It may be a few hours, or only a few minutes, but each moment we spend
managing our day is an opportunity to be closer to God.

Each day is precious,
and our time on Earth is limited. We can either allow the days to manage us or
we can ask God to help us manage them. We can allow our time to be swallowed up
by all the distractions this world has to offer, or we can follow Jesus and
live out the mission he has for our lives. It truly is up to us! And don’t you
feel better when you know you have helped someone who is hurting, when you have
extended forgiveness, and when you have brought someone closer to God? When we
manage our days, the opportunities arise to do good, and we unite in a mission
to make this world a better place. And when the day ends, the weariness and
fatigue that drained us from allowing the day to manage us, is replaced with
the feeling of fulfillment from a day that we managed while walking with Jesus!

“Manage your day or
the day will manage you.”