A blogger begged the cyber-world, "Let me catch my breath before you take it away again." We live in a multi-tasking, microwaveable, life at internet-speed world. Recently, I saw a young mother frantically pushing a stroller, munching on a breakfast bar, while talking on her cell. She had crowded eating breakfast, exercising, closing a business transaction, and spending "quality time" with her toddler into twenty minutes.

More than likely she had adopted the attitude from my past. I was trapped in the You Should syndrome: "You should attend every church function!" "You should recycle!" "You should decorate like Martha Stewart!" Finally, a voice of sanity broke in: "Don't let others 'should you' to death."

My friend Penny never tried to tell me what I should do. She gave me permission not to do some things. One week, guests had drained every spare moment from my schedule. But I still felt obligated to prepare a home-cooked meal and attend a women's meeting. I called to vent and she said, "Lenya, just order take-out and stay home." That evening I caught my breath, and the Lord whispered, "You're not only out of breath physically, you've lost your spiritual wind." Can you relate?

A wise man said, "Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important." Too many of us feel smothered by our schedules, letting the natural world crowd out spiritual wonders. Make a mental list of your weekly demands: Household, Financial, Family, Work, Hobbies, etc. Now categorize them as urgent or important. Urgent things include the ringing phone, piles of laundry, or our favorite TV show. The urgent demand our attention--NOW! Important things like reading the Bible, praying, or helping the needy wait for time that doesn't come. Charles E. Hummel said, "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done." Isn't it time to reschedule?

Start to think of time in units. Divide your day into 20-minute intervals. There are three of these units in every hour. Make the bed and get dressed - 2 units. Fix and feed the kids breakfast - 1 unit. Each day you have 72 units at your disposal. In one 20-minute unit you could...

• Walk one mile.
• Prepare a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of soup.
• Vacuum the average 2,000 sq. ft. home.
• Shampoo and blow-dry your hair.
• Make the average commute to work.
• Complete a Fresh Life Bible study.

20 minutes-a simple unit of time. It's a great place to start. As you study God's Word, you'll find yourself living the life God intended, not frantically playing catch-up. As you develop spiritual stamina, you'll find yourself wanting to give God more units of time. What a breathtaking idea!

In His fresh love,

Lenya Heitzig