Exposing the Root of Time Scarcity: Redeem Your Writing Time

Are you constantly plagued with the thoughts of “I have to get XYZ done today or I’ll never get this writing business off the ground?”

First off, take a deep breath. You’re doing great. You’re not behind. And that feeling of never getting enough done has tripped you up for the last time.

Because today’s we’re diving into those nagging thoughts that waylay our focus, keeping us trapped in the endless cycle of busy rather than true kingdom productivity.

You are not a task monkey. You’re a creative for God’s glory, and today we’re breaking free from more mindsets that are hindering your writing growth and freedom.

Exposing the Root of Time Scarcity

If you caught episode six, you know I’ve been on a journey to overcome perfectionism and the need for visible productivity.

By the grace of God, I’ve come a far way. My life and family have drastically changed because of this freedom the Lord has given.

And I want that same freedom for you.

Freedom from constantly measuring yourself to the forever moving bar of what success, productivity, and value looks like from the world’s perspective. Together, let discover how to see your output from God’s perspective and measure yourself by how He sees you.

Biblical success is measured by being obedient to God’s Son.

So if you are walking in faithful obedience to what Christ has asked of you, then my friend give yourself some grace. You. Are. Successful.

Your success isn’t measured by how many tasks you can get checked off on your to-do list.

It isn’t measured by whether or not you can write as fast as the virtual neighbor next to you.

Or if you have as many books sales or reviews or readers on your newsletter list.

Society has conditioned us to measure our output as the determining value on whether or not we’re thriving in our writing.

But those viewpoints—those worldly standards—are becoming blinders that hinder the truth found when we view ourselves, our world, and our circumstances through the lenses of the Holy Spirit.

How the World Measures Success vs. How God Defines It

Society says that to be great you need to earn x amount of dollars each year. Yet that number is always changing.

Society says that you need to have x amount of newsletter subscribers or have x number of platform followers. Yet those numbers too are always changing.

Society says you need to be everywhere and doing everything. Yet marketing strategies are constantly changing with new technologies and softwares becoming available every month.

What society dictates is never constant. So, my friend, your foundation shouldn’t be laid upon such unstable ground.

The only never-changing constant is God’s word. His word is a solid, infallible foundation you can build upon.

And if at the end of the day, you can wholly say that you were obedient to God’s Son. Then, my friend, you were a thriving success today.

The Difference Between Hustle and Surrendered Hard Work

Okay, let’s shift gears slightly because I want to highlight a key contrast between hustle vs hard work. Which we’re defining these as self-driven work vs surrendered work.

You already know I’m anti-hustle culture. Yet I am pro-hard work, i.e. surrendered work.

We need to put in the labor, we need to run our race if we hope to gain the imperishable crown Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 9.

However, there is a distinct difference between hustle and hard word.

Surrendered work is hard work done for God’s purposes. Placing a higher value on God’s will for the day over our own. Cultivating that servant’s heart to put the good of all over the comfort of self.

We see this concept highlighted in verses such as:

• “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NKJV)

• “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 (NKJV)

Then on the flip side of that … hustle—or self-driven work—is not based in surrender.

Worldly hustle is the sacrifice of self for the grasping of things not obtained through God but rather obtained through our idols.

Ouch, I know. My toes got stepped on, too.

The Lies That Steal Your Time

That burning need to be busy with the next task …

That hunger for visible productivity to prove our worth to readers’ or gain our colleagues’ admiration …

That drive for non stop forward motion to reach the next sale because you can’t seem to breakthrough …

Those deep, unsettling unctions all have roots bound up in fear and unbelief.

And that root of fear, unbelief, and perfectionism is stealing more than just your peace. That root is distorting your understanding of time, and in turn is robbing you of your time.

How do I know? Let’s break this down some more.

• Fear says “you don’t (and won’t) have enough.”
• Unbelief says “God won’t provide.”
• Perfectionism says “I must always prove myself.”

Those lies—rooted in fear—will convince us that we can’t trust God.

And if we’re not trusting God to provide then we put trust in our own strength and understanding to make a way for ourselves.

If we’re constantly busy doing everything ourselves, then we don’t enter that place of intimacy with God, partnering with His Holy Spirit, spending transformative time in His presence.

It’s in His presence that we have His word spoken over us to affirm our identities. And if we’re not having our identities affirmed by God, we’ll listen more to the lies that only contort our identities.

Perfectionism then struts onto the scene, convincing us that what we will never be good enough.

By this point, our confidence and self-esteem become crushed, and instead of stewarding our time to effectively release the books God has given to us, we spend weeks, months, even years striving for busy work to prove our value and never accomplish the legacy-driven kingdom work.

We never prioritize time for what matters because we’re constantly chasing validation.

Fear steals time. Whereas faith redeems it.

Effectively organizing our to-do lists, project goals, and even our days has more to do with our belief foundation that we might realize.

If this is convicting you—like it did me—don’t heap on self-condemnation. What the Lord shines a light on isn’t to shame us, but to bring us into a greater level of freedom found in Him.

Because God wants you freed from the chains of hustle, fear, unbelief, and perfectionism. Those things damage your physical and spiritual health.

God wants good for you, and that involves health and freedom.

Redeeming Time Through Faith

You are not a failure. You might have been deceived my your own ambitions like I had once been. But you are not a failure. You are the daughter of a King who loves you too much for you to stay where you are. Hence this heart chat.

Your freedom is one conversation away with Him.

Faith Restores What Fear Steals

We’ve exposed those roots causing us to feed into this sense of time scarcity—this feeling of I’ll never have enough time.

And we’re flipping the script—in faith.

God is our Great Provider—He is Jehovah-Jireh. It’s part of His identity, part of His nature.

Abraham called Him Jehovah-Jireh for providing exactly what he and Isaac needed when the need was the greatest.

All throughout scripture we see God showing up for His people in miraculous ways. God has not changed. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. God has not stopped providing for His people. It’s His people who have stopped believing and trusting in Him.

Again, ouch. Yep, my toes are hurting too.

So how can we take this heart chat and apply it to our day.

How to Steward Time as a Christian Writer

Step One: get away with Jesus.

Those roots feeding the time scarcity need to be removed. And depending on how long those roots have been present would also indicate the depth of spiritual and mental healing that would need to take place.

Then once that roots are removed and those areas healed, that time spent with Jesus will reaffirm your identity in Him. Thus feeding your faith to believe that the impossible can be made possible through God. Because with God all things are possible.

Step Two: ask the Lord to teach you how to steward your time.

For the sake of today’s chat, let’s define the differences between managing time and stewarding time.

Managing time verses stewarding time lies in the focus and perspective.

Management focuses on the effective use of resources to reach a desired end goal, often with the present or short term goals in mind. Stewarding focuses on the responsibility and ethical handling of what has been entrusted to you, ensuring that the resource is well taken care of and around for long term results.

Another thing to note is who owns what. Time isn’t something you own. You can’t bend time to your will. We are entrusted with time and tasked to steward it well for kingdom growth—leaving a lasting impact on those who come after us.

So if time isn’t ours but instead a resource we’re entrusted with, then we will need God’s help to use said resource effectively.

Psalm 18 blessed my socks off this morning.

Notice who is the one strengthening, establishing, and teaching.

A few key things I don’t want you to miss. King David was not raised from birth to be a king. He wasn’t taught politics as a child. He didn’t grow up learning the ins and outs of how to run a respected kingdom.

As a child, David learned about shepherding and meeting the needs of farm animals. I imagine he spent his days learning to aid ewes in birthing new lambs or what plants had the best medicinal properties for healing the sick or wounded in his flock. He wasn’t raised to know how to be king. God taught him.

God strengthened him, established him, and trained him for the position that God had appointed for him.

Can we come to the place of faith where we believe that God will do the same for us? Can we lean into the Holy Spirit and trust that God will strengthen, establish, and train us to be a skillful, innovative entrepreneurs for His glory?

Step Three: identify the cracks in your wall

Reflect—with the Lord—on where hustle has creeped into your writing life. Where are those cracks that hustle, fear, or perfectionism have entered through? Once you identify the metaphorical cracks in your walls, put truth guards in place.

The truth of God’s word will be your anchor against the lies. Lies from the enemy, but also lies from yourself.

Encouragement for the Christian Writer

You do have time. God is faithful.

Lean into Him. Trust in Him. Watch what He does. And walk in faithful obedience to His directions and teachings.

You are a treasure, and you are a valued member of God’s kingdom.

Be blessed today, my friend.

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Have a fantastic day, my friend. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and I’ll catch ya next time.