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As summer ramps up with its abundance of activities and demands, I think back to some instruction I once receive from my friend, Julie. Julie created bold and beautiful floral arrangements, and was teaching me how to make my own. Before I learned Julie’s insights into creating an arrangement of beauty, I used to purchase a cluster of flowers at the grocery store, rip off the cellophane wrapper, and stick it into a vase exactly as it came out of the paper.
As Julie explained to me regarding the masterpieces she creates, some flowers are more brilliant in color, more demanding on the eye, and more important to the visual effect of the bouquet. These major blossoms must be cut tall, stand upright, and be inserted into the arrangement first. Other flowers are softer in color and come next, surrounding the more exciting blossoms. Still others are filler, while some are used for their fragrance. Each bloom, Julie patiently explained, has a place and a purpose.
This is similar to managing the different priorities in our lives. Our daily schedules need to be treated in the same way and with the same carefulness required in creating a breathtaking floral arrangement. You can have a “bunch” of things you need to do that you stick and stuff into God’s gift of 24 hours. Or you can lay out and consider all the different tasks you need to take care of, prepare for, and finish, and then thoughtfully and oh-so-painstakingly prioritize and place them in the perfect position in your schedule.
Don’t you think this second way is the better way? As a woman on a mission to live out God’s plan for you, you must seriously and prayerfully consider the value of each task and the best time for it… including the value of each minute and the best way to use it. Making this one change in your approach to your day and your duties will better your life.
A Prayer to Pray:
Jesus, let me be steadfast in the pursuit of Your priorities. Help me to pause at the beginning of each day to best prepare for what awaits me. Help me honor this life You’ve given to me and enjoy the blessing of family and faith.
For more encouragement for managing your priorities, read Elizabeth George’s book, Life Management for Busy Women.
Read A Bountiful Bouquet – Part 1 of 3 on Elizabeth & Jim George.
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
How did men and women in the Bible accomplish great things for God? There wasn’t any secret formula or bestselling book on success for them. In fact, they were ordinary people like you and me. What made them effective was their willingness to obey God—one decision at a time.
