There is something God honoring about organizing your time well, given that every day is a precious gift from the Lord. With each day, just remember this piece of advice – the best you can do is simply to do the best you can.
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The first day of school is just around the corner. Hi, I’m Joni.
Okay, so, I have to wonder. Is ‘getting ready to go back to school’ the same as it was when I was a sophomore? I’m thinking that it’s time to, I don’t know, go to the mall, select a back-to-school outfit and shoes. Then on to Wal-Mart, load up on three-ring binders in the hottest colors or cartoon characters, you get your special pads of notebook paper, and the latest in fashionable pencils. I recall my first day of high school when I confidently marched onto campus, full of high expectations. It would be the best year ever. I was determined to improve my grades, do well in algebra, join the choir, the lunch cafeteria chess club, and with all of that, I’d make first-string on the field hockey team. And I promised myself I would not be late for a single class.
But I tell you what, by the end of September, I was scrambling. The choir room was on the other end of the campus which meant I was always late for field hockey practice. The girls who were trying out for varsity were great athletes and it hit me that making first-string was going to be a lot tougher than I thought. Academics were rigorous, and no way could I keep up with reading assignments in chemistry. All those new theorems in algebra? They made no sense to me. Look, top grades for me were going to be a challenge! And I finally accepted a fact of life – the best you can do is simply to do the best you can.
The apostle Paul says pretty much the same thing to his young friend in 2 Timothy 2. He says, “Study hard. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved” That’s the key. Whether studying Scripture or chemistry, training for the mission field or for field hockey, memorizing Bible verses or memorizing algebra theorems, in everything, we should study hard. If we do our work for the praise of the Lord Jesus, our work will be honored, whether our grade is high or humble.
The best you can do is simply do the best you can. So, this month, as students head off to school – whether primary school or a college in the next state – let’s encourage them to do their best. God knows the heart of your student. And if the heart is right with God, there’s no way he or she can fail. And I have an idea. You see, part of my problem back in high school was that I failed at organizing my time. I signed up for too many classes in one morning. And that chess club during cafeteria time? I did not consider that, hey, I’d actually need time to eat my lunch in between capturing pawns and rooks and bishops. Back then? I needed a good organizer, a planner, with lots of space in which to write appointments and do lists. And I’m pretty excited that I now get to design planners! And if you have a minute, I would like you to see my new Joni planner. All you’ve got to do is visit joniradio.org today and take a look. Who knows? It might come in handy for a student that you know. And finally, do the best that you can do by following the advice of Psalm 90:12, which says, “Lord, teach me to number my days that I might apply my heart to your wisdom.” There is something God honoring about organizing our time well, given that every day is a precious gift from the Lord. And with each day? Just remember, the best you can do is simply to do the best you can. Good advice for any day. And don’t forget to visit my radio page today at joniradio.org and take a look at my new planner. Because I just love designing these things. You’ll see it all at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends