A. S. A. P.

I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

Ever wonder about the abbreviation A.S.A.P.?  Well, if you are reading Dr. Seuss it is Act Swiftly Awesome Pachyderm (from Horton Hears a Who).  There are actually over 100 different acronyms for A.S.A.P.  The one used most commonly is As Soon As Possible.  Generally we think of it in terms of even more hurry and stress in our lives.  It is an abbreviation we don’t particularly like to see thrust on us.  One response to this abbreviation is “A lack of planning on your part does not constitute emergency on my part.” 

Having our lives interrupted repeatedly around someone else’s crisis is certainly no way to live.  There is, however, another way to translate this acrostic.  Instead of viewing this as a command to drop everything and act on whatever is being requested, what if we instead dropped to our knees in prayer?  This simple poem has some wisdom in it.

There's work to do, deadlines to meet;

You've got no time to spare,

But as you hurry and scurry-

A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

In the midst of family chaos,

"Quality time" is rare.

Do your best; let God do the rest-

A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

It may seem like your worries

Are more than you can bear.

Slow down and take a breather-

A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

God knows how stressful life is;

He wants to ease our cares,

And He'll respond to all your needs

A.S.A.P. - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER.

In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey warns his readers to beware living our lives reacting to the urgent.  Instead we need to order our lives in such a way that time does not use us but we use our time wisely.  It is hard for many to not pick up the ringing phone or respond immediately to the email or text, but if we are to have any sense of priorities in our lives it is mandatory to use our time wisely.

Scripture to Claim:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-Ecclesiastes 3:1