Time is of the Essence

There is nothing more important than time. That is a lesson that I have learned in the past year. I don't think I've ever worked so much before and quite frankly at the time, it didn't bother me. That is, until I started realizing what was happening. Family time... I'll see them another time? Friend time...they'll understand, we can reschedule? Husband time...he understands,right? Me time...huuuh? At the end of your life what do you want to remember? Do you want to think about how many hours you put in at work and the success it got you or didn't get you or do you want to remember your quality time? I say the perfect answer is you want both- but balanced. There is a bible passage that comes to mind- Ecclesiastes 3

Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV)
There is a timeA)"> for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,B)">
3 a time to killC)"> and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silentD)"> and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil?E)"> 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.F)"> 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.G)"> He has also set eternity in the human heart; yeta)">(a) no one can fathomH)"> what God has done from beginning to end.I)">12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,J)"> and find satisfactionK)"> in all their toil—this is the gift of God.L)"> 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.M)">
15 Whatever is has already been,N)">
and what will be has been before;O)">
and God will call the past to account.b)">(b)
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgmentP)">
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”Q)">
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.R)"> 19 Surely the fate of human beingsS)"> is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breathc)">(c); humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.T)"> 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upwardU)"> and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,V)"> because that is their lot.W)"> For who can bring them to see what will happen after them? So the lesson I want to share with you is clear- enjoy your work, take time to enjoy yourself and always be thankful. Don't burn yourself out on one thing but enjoy your life and job as much as you can. :)