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The world’s idea of success is fortune, fame, and power. But the forgotten side of success is lasting satisfaction, contentment, and peace found through helping others. People remain the essential ingredient in life.

Too much to do, not enough time to do it? You don’t just have to hustle harder. You can simplify and (yes) enjoy your life. Crystal Paine—mom of six, bestselling author of The Money-Saving Mom, and entrepreneur—delivers real-world, no-nonsense time management advice for moms from her latest book, The Time-Saving Mom. Her ideas will keep you sane and enjoying the things you love most.

Show Notes and Resources

• The Time Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most by Crystal Paine
• Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now

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Kenn described the story of his shocking diagnosis that he needed immediate open-heart surgery and was only given a 60-percent chance of survival. Through this terrifying experience, Kenn discovered 3 powerful gifts – people who loved & cared for him, a new intimacy with God through prayer, and godly truth that gave him hope for the future.

Our family, and probably yours, can be divided into two functional groups: the morning people and the night people. Which, by the way, are dysfunctional the other part of the day. You have those at your house? Well, often they marry each other. I don't know why that happens. And then they drive each other nuts at the beginning and at the end of the day. Now, my daughter, for example, oh, she was the slow freight train in the morning. She was almost a no freight train in the morning. It was hard to get her up; it took a long time to get her going, not much spark there, not too many smiles. She was not really like that the rest of the day. But morning was just not her time.

Now, I'm a morning person. Then about 10 or 11 o'clock at night, I start to unravel. I'm the slow freight or the no freight then. Well, I hate to tell you this, but I get to be less and less fun to be with as it gets a little later. Meanwhile, guess what my daughter was doing? She was bouncing off the walls at this point. See, we both could use a little help at the down end of our day. So could you probably.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "At the Down End of Your Day."

Well, our word for today from the Word of God has something for both the morning people and the night people. It comes from Psalm 92:1-2. "It is good to praise the Lord and to make music to Your name, O Most High, to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night." This is talking about praising, and making music at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. It says we should be, as followers of the Most High God, positive at the beginning and at the end - both ends of the day.

Now, I've noticed a gap between my metabolism; especially my late night metabolism, and my desire to be like Jesus. See, they're in conflict. Oh, I can be having a good day of serving, and being unselfish, and caring about other people, being positive all day, and then the hour starts getting late. The later it gets, sometimes it just seems like the more selfish I get, the crankier I get, the more brittle, irritable. I'm less likely to go out of my way. I'm more likely to say something cutting or sarcastic, or to complain about having to do something. Now, maybe that happens to you in the morning.

Guess when I need God's resources the most? I need them at night, because I'm a morning person. I need to consciously stretch the lordship of Christ to cover the down end of my day. There's a part of my day that seems like I'm the least under His lordship, and I'll bet there's one for you. And that's the part I need to depend on Him the most. Maybe morning's your toughest time to be a Christian.

Well, David said in Psalm 90:14, "Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." See, in your case, you've got to wake up and think of Jesus first thing. Whichever is your down end of the day, be sure that Christ's lordship reaches from your first waking moments to your last conscious moments. You can really hurt those you love the most at your harsh end of the day.

Remember, our Lord is the One who gives you a pillar of cloud to wake up to in the morning assuring you of a God-designed day, and who gives you a pillar of fire at night to assure you of His illuminating presence at night time.

So, here's a practical take home test on your spiritual maturity. What difference is Christ making at the down end of your day?

Read: John 10:14-18

“Why would Jesus allow Himself to be killed if He were really God?” Jackson asked his youth group leader. “I don’t get it!” Mr. Anders did his best to explain, but Jackson still thought it made no sense.

A few days later, Jackson joined the group on a campout at a national park. Before heading off, they met with Ranger Davis. He told them about his work and even let them climb up the watchtower where he regularly checked for fires. Then the boys and Mr. Anders headed into the woods.

The next day, the group awakened to the smell of smoke in the air. “There must be a fire in the forest somewhere,” Mr. Anders said. He tried to call the park office but couldn’t get any reception on his phone. “We don’t know where the fire is,” he told the boys. “If we start moving, we might head closer to the blaze.”

“Look!” Jackson called out. “A helicopter!”

The boys whooped as a helicopter zoomed in and hovered over their campsite. Within a few minutes, they were all inside and taken to safety.

As the boys talked excitedly about their narrow escape, a sheriff came in. “Where’s Ranger Davis?” someone asked. “Was he able to see where we were from the watchtower?”

The sheriff nodded sadly. “He spotted your campsite and radioed your location right before a burning tree fell on the tower.”

Jackson gasped. “You mean…he died?”

The sheriff nodded again. “He refused to leave before you boys were located. He stayed and saved your lives instead of his own. If he hadn’t…well, you wouldn’t be here now.” Jackson was stunned.

Later that day, Mr. Anders talked with Jackson. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“I can’t stop thinking about Ranger Davis. He could have left the tower sooner, but he stayed to save us—and died because of it.” Jackson paused to wipe his eyes. “It’s like what you were trying to tell me about Jesus, isn’t it?”

Mr. Anders nodded. “Jesus could have chosen not to die, but then we couldn’t have been saved from our sin. He died in our place—and then He rose again! Everyone who trusts in Him will live with Him forever.”

“I get it now,” Jackson said in a trembling voice. “I want to trust in Him too.”

–Jan L. Hansen

How about you? Did you know that Jesus sacrificed His life for yours? You can’t save yourself, but Jesus willingly died so you could be saved and have eternal life with Him. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? If not, do it today and He will save you. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. John 10:17-18 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus willingly died for you

Live with an awareness of your inevitable appointment with God.

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My cousins, who lived only two miles away when we were growing up, weren’t allowed to interact with my family. They never came to reunions or talked to us at the local grocery store. Their parents said it was because we didn’t attend church and we’d be a bad influence on them. What a surprise when many years later, a cousin attended my eldest brother’s funeral! He approached us one by one and humbly apologized for their attitude. Our relationship with him began to be restored. 

Jacob needed a humble heart to seek restoration with his twin brother, Esau. Jacob, the second born, had connived against Esau: he stole his brother’s birthright (25:19-34) and deceived his elderly father into giving him the firstborn’s blessing (26:34–27:40). Furious, Esau threatened to kill him, so Jacob had run to another country.

Years later, Jacob wanted to return home but was afraid the deep division between him and his brother wouldn’t be resolved without bloodshed (32:6-8). When he and Esau finally met, he humbly “bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother” (33:3). He feared Esau would kill him, but instead Esau came running “and embraced him” (v. 4).

Whether we’ve harmed another or have been harmed, it takes humility, openness, and often much work to heal the brokenness. But God can and will help us.

Read: Romans 5:1-5

Marta sat down on the couch beside her grandmother and glanced at the needlepoint canvas she was working on. “That’s so pretty!” said Marta. “That’s going to be the cover for the pillow you made for my bed, isn’t it? Is it almost finished?”

“Not yet,” said Grandma, “but it’s getting there.” She turned the canvas over and cut a thread.

“Wow!” said Marta. “It doesn’t look so good on the back side—just a big tangle of threads.” She grinned. “Be sure you don’t put it on the pillow inside out!”

Grandma laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Marta picked up a photo album from the coffee table and flipped through it. “Grandma,” she said after a few minutes, “I still miss Grandpa a lot. I just don’t understand why God didn’t make him get better! We prayed and prayed for him, but he died anyway.”

Grandma squeezed Marta’s hand. “I know you miss him, honey. I do too. I don’t know why the Lord took Grandpa to heaven instead of giving him more time here with us, but…” She paused and held up her needlework so Marta could see the back of the canvas again. “As you pointed out, this side of the picture isn’t very pretty.” She turned the cloth over to the finished side.

“That side is much better,” said Marta. “I love the little frogs in that picture. They’re so cute!”

“Yes, they are—even though I’m not finished yet.” Grandma laid the needlework back in her lap and looked at Marta. “Some things that happen to us—or to those we love—look like the tangled threads on the wrong side of a needlepoint picture,” she said softly. “But God sees the right side. His picture of our lives isn’t finished yet, and He knows what threads are needed to make it beautiful. We need to trust Him to work out every part just right, knowing that Jesus gave His life so that our lives could be a beautiful reflection of Him.”

Marta picked up her grandma’s needlework and smiled. “Once this is finished and on my bed, the frogs in the picture will remind me to trust God with my life, even when things happen that I don’t understand.”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Has something sad happened in your life? Is it hard to understand why God allows those kinds of things to happen? When things happen that you don’t understand, trust that God is using them for good, even though you can’t see it. He loves you and will always be there to help you through the hard times, and one day you’ll be able to see the beautiful picture He’s made of your life.

Today's Key Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust Jesus in everything

What happens when people “fear the Lord” in a healthy way? Explore how this can lead to wisdom and relationship with God!

Receive 

The Bible’s wisdom books remind us again and again that the fear of the Lord is where real wisdom begins—and that’s the kind of wisdom we need for everyday life. From big decisions to ordinary moments, we all need God’s perspective to help us navigate what’s in front of us. 

Proverbs offers that wisdom with a hopeful, “glass half-full” lens, giving practical guidance for daily choices. Ecclesiastes meets us in the tension, naming life’s frustrations and uncertainties with a more “glass half-empty” honesty. And Job takes us deeper, showing that a healthy fear of the Lord isn’t about being afraid—it’s about being drawn into a real, trusting relationship with God as we learn to revere all of who He is, even when life doesn’t make sense. 

Reflect 

Read the verses connected with this episode below. As you reflect on the Scripture, what stands out to you? 

• Proverbs 1:5 
• Proverbs 24:5 
• Ecclesiastes 1:18 
• Proverbs 24:3-4 
• Ecclesiastes 2:20-21 
• Ecclesiastes 9:11 
• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 
• Job 
• Psalm 22:22-24 
• Psalm 19:7-10 
• Psalm 25:8-14 

• Would you say you identify more with the “glass half-full" approach to wisdom in Proverbs, or the “glass half-empty" approach of Ecclesiastes? 
• Job’s story demonstrates that fearing God is relational and not transactional (see Job 1:9). Why is it important to fear God for who He is and not for what He does? How does this type of reverent fear strengthen your relationship with God? 
• God assured Job of His power and presence and unlimited perspective. How did this help Job have a healthy fear of God (see Job 42:1-6)? How can this help you have a healthy fear of God? 
• Fear of the Lord invites you into a deeper relationship with Him (see Psalm 25:14). How can that help you live wisely today? 

Respond 

(Use this prayer to start a conversation with God) 

“Jesus, help me have a healthy fear of God that allows me to live with wisdom throughout my life. Enable me to revere God for who He is and not for what He does so that I may deepen my relationship with You. Open my eyes to see more clearly the wonder and awe of who You are.”  

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