10/25/16 - Productivity

This is Kathi, Gary's business consultant.  It's been an interesting morning for me.  I have found myself in a nearby town waiting while a service technician worked on an issue for me – and I have had about 4 hours to burn.  I started at McDonalds (can you say free Wi-Fi?!) and spent time there catching up on the kind of work that can be safely done on public Wi-Fi.  Then, I checked in on the service tech and needed to find another work haven.

Now I am at the local library and it is not what I expected on a Monday morning. To my right is a "retired lady" (I don't know her story so I'm taking some liberties with it!) who is clearly working with a non-profit agency in the area.  She's got a Bluetooth device in her ear and is talking to someone at a nearby church.  She has spoken to a couple of other agencies and, from what I can tell, she is involved in helping homeless families find shelter and hope. (Look up "Family Promise" if you're curious!)  To my left is a corporate guy who has made a few phone calls as well, assisting clients and getting work done for them.

It might be silly, but I expected young families and story time.  I didn't expect business to be happening.  Are they here for free Wi-Fi (like me today)?  Do they have time to kill and just happened upon a library where they could do work? Do they somehow benefit from working in a public place?  I don't know the answer!

I guess I am encouraged that I'm not the only one who finds a place and a time and a reason to be productive. When we are busy doing what God has given us to do (especially things like raising a family and going to story time!), we are exhibiting purpose and meaning.  God created us to be productive and to exert dominion over the earth.

As Patrice Tsague of Nehemiah Project recently said:

"Among all assets that God has blessed us with, the most valuable and most misused asset is time.

Everyone has the same amount of time: 60 seconds a minute, 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and 365 days a year.

A poem titled "I have Only Just a Minute" by an unknown author and popularized by my friend Willy Jolly, gives us a good view of how we should all view our time:

"I have only just a minute, only sixty seconds in it, didn't seek it, didn't choose it, but it's up to me to use it, give account if I abuse it, answer for it if I lose it, just a tiny little minute, but eternity in it.""

I hope you are encouraged to be productive today, no matter where you are, and to find purpose and meaning in the productivity. 

Excerpts from Nehemiah Project's Weekly Devotionals written by Patrice Tsague.