The Time of Your Life: Finding God's Rest in Your Busy Schedule

by Susie Davis

Time is one of our most precious resources. Each day our calendars are packed with appointments and entertainments. To make ends meet, we cut corners, swapping substance for speed. At the end of the day, our busyness has produced very little fruit, and we are left feeling more frustrated and exhausted than the day before. The way we spend our time says a lot about what we value. What does your schedule say about the things that are most important to you? Is busyness a buffer to keep you from hearing God? It is in times of rest that we are able to quiet ourselves and listen for God's voice to teach and lead us in life-giving truth. The purpose of this book is to help you understand more about God and His design for your schedule and your life. His plans for you do not include utter exhaustion and a frazzled spirit. God has peace, rest, and a purpose in mind for you, no matter what your present circumstances may be. Each chapter includes "Time Out" questions for group discussion or personal use.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2006

About the author

Susie Davis is an author, speaker and co-founder of Austin Christian Fellowship. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Will Davis, Jr., and they have 3 delightful young adult children (Will III, Emily, and Sara) who are all married and living their one beautiful life.

Susie’s podcast, Dear Daughters, is full of wisdom and joy, offering women young and old the kind of comfort and companionship they crave.

Aside from family and ministry, Susie is hopelessly addicted to horseback riding, McDonald’s coffee and pink geraniums. She loves bird watching, creek walking and connecting the dots between God and nature. Her favorites include cooking, gathering people at her big French farm table and asking deep questions.

Reviews

[Heather Truckenmiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, really I did. And it's not like I hated it. I just didn't really get anything out of it.

I can't relate to running to the grocery store for "just 10 items or less" at 5pm on any day of the week. For me, if you live her theme, that your time is not your own but God's - then that's so wasteful. Spend more time planning, shop once a week, get everything you need then.

I can't relate to getting a part time job to pay for horseback riding lessons (we have out own horses - so it's not as if I cannot relate entirely) and then being so busy that there is no time to clean and hiring a housekeeper to pick up the slack. Do horseback riding lessons really cost that much more than a housekeeper? (maybe they do, I really don't know)

I can't relate to spending an entire day out of the house (at the horse barn) then going out to dinner, and then referencing the titus 2 verse about being "busy at home".

The author is right up front about this not being an organizing book. And that's really honest of her, because there are no organizing tips in here. You may find yourself recommending a few such books to this author, after reading this book.

There are excellent scriptures and quotes in here, but none of them felt inspirational to me in the context they were used. Sometimes a book reads different at different times in your life, and I wonder if that is the case with this one, for me, at this time. Perhaps I would like it better at another time.

Her idea to chart how she spends her days and then evaluate that chart against her priority list IS a good idea. It's something I have done regularly over the years, and have found very helpful.

The idea that we all have exactly the same number of hours each day is repeated a few times in this book. While this is mathematically true, it is not functionally true. It is not always practical to "drop things off your plate" as she suggests - sometimes it all really NEEDS to be done, and a good organizational plan can help to get you through those super busy times.

If you are looking for a christian themed book on time management, I'd recommend skipping this one and picking up More Hours In My Day by Emilie Barnes.

[Carol Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is aimed mostly at Christian women who are mothers and wives. Davis makes you look at how you relate to time. She encourages you to realize that all time is God's time and how you choose to use it is up to you. She has a few good, concrete suggestions, too, like learning to say no to things you're not called to do, actually keeping a time journal for a week and seeing if your priorities match where you spend your time, and keeping a Sabbath.

[Mary Thoresen]

I skimmed over a lot of the author's own story and examples, but found main points that I needed to think about and take time to note in my journal. This was definitely a topic I had been thinking about a lot, and I did find it encouraging and yet challenging me at the same time.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this loan from my sister. It's more of a devotional than a how-to, which is refreshing! There are plenty of how-tos out there, but the why is often lacking or missing.

[Kara Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well if a good book changes your life-this one is excellent. I am rushing from one thing to the next, yet this book made me realize most of my rushing was fruitless. I needed to add less quantity to my life and more quality. That sounds so cliche yet in this book it addresses the exact moments you stray (the field trip needed another chaperone so you put off your normal errands only to add them to another schedule-more crazy later) nothing sinister, but the crazy happens in life and you don't see it sneak in until you are screaming at everyone, "hurry, hurry, hurry" when you really want to stop life and smile at those around you.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ggod and had great context but it went on and on with examples.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is really important? A Christian perspective not only to time management, but to determining what is really important.