Do you feel what I feel? The need to harvest your time? When autumn’s shorter days and crisper weather wrap around my senses I always feel the need to hold close the things that matter most to me.

It’s like I want to harvest memories to treasure over a cup of tea and a slice of warm pear pie.

You know what I mean. You want the time that seems to be slipping by so quickly to hold still just a few more minutes so you can fully live this life God has given you.

But how do you harvest your time?

In his book, Sabbath, Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest, Wayne Muller asks this question:

What if we were to expand our definition of wealth to include those things that grow only in time—time to walk in the park, time to take a nap, time to play with children, to read a good book, to dance, to put our hands in the garden, to cook playful meals with friends, . . . .

How many of us think about time as wealth?

Really—I’m usually so busy I don’t think about time at all except that I need more of it.

The age of technology has given us many things, but has it added one hour of time to our lives that it hasn’t already consumed?

To cultivate time as a resource might be a refreshing activity for many of us.

How I invest time, and the benefits that grow from my investment, will enrich my life in ways that “things” cannot.

Some of the benefits include:

• Rest
• Laughter
• Health
• Richer relationships
• Wisdom
• An ability to hear God’s voice more clearly

What benefits would you include in this list?

Here are my choices of where to invest my time so that I can reap the benefits above:

• Morning musings with the Lord
• Daily coffee time with my husband to share our lives at deep levels
• Friends that like to laugh and talk about the ridiculous and the serious
• A walk along our road to view the fall leaves
• Craft days with my grandchildren
• Sit down dinners with family and friends

Time is our most precious resource. What would your investment list look like?

Fall is the season of harvest and time is no exception.

How are you going to harvest your time?

Look over your harvest this season—are you reaping the things that really matter?

Might there be better ways to invest your time in the months ahead?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a note in the comment section below this post.

All the best,

Susan

P.S. This post is a repeat of one of my favorites, How to Harvest Time, from October, 2010. And if you enjoyed it, please pass it on via one of the social media buttons below the post. Thanks!