WHAT’S YOUR PLAN?
What’s on your to-do list today?
Maybe you have an intricately scheduled plan. Or scribbles on a napkin scrap. Maybe your plans are just floating loose in your head. Regardless of how you keep up with them, most of us have some sort of list of actions to accomplish each day.
But here’s the problem: Other people get in the way. Life gets in the way. Interruptions, distractions, conflicts.
How are we to work efficiently with the clock when the world seems to be working against us?
Or in other words, as believers, how are we to be in the world, but not of the world?
When Jesus was talking to His Father on the night before His death, He said, “I don’t ask that you take them [the disciples] out of the world.”
Instead, Jesus sent them—and now us!—straight into the world (John 17:15-18).
For our sakes, He made Himself holy that we also might be holy (John 17:19).
DO YOU LOOK HOLY?
But does a Christian’s to-do list look any holier than anybody else’s list? Sure, we may add a few extras: Read Bible, Pray, Attend church. But otherwise, it’s similar: Take a shower. Pack lunches. Go to work. Put gas in the car. Wash clothes.
How are we set apart?
Because God’s Spirit lives inside us, we are different. We work from a higher power and with a different motive. Our goal is to love others in such a way that the world will know Jesus is real (John 17:21).
So perhaps we need to highlight something different on our lists. . . .
TRY THIS
Pull out your to-do list. Under each item, can you add someone’s name? Who are you loving through what you’re doing?
- Pay the bills
(my family) - Answer emails
(my coworkers) - Practice memory verse
(my friends, me) - Weed the garden
(my family, me, neighbors)
Each task now represents a person. A relationship. A soul to share God’s love with. Including ourselves.
It’s not the what on our to-do list that matters. It’s the who.
And it’s not the how. It’s the why.
It won’t come without a cost. You might not cross as many things off your list. But the dividends are rich. With greater purpose, you’ll have greater peace, more compassion, and reflect more glory back to God.
So when you make your next to-do list, ask better questions beyond, “What do I have to do today?” Also ask:
- Why am I doing this?
- Who can benefit from it?
- Will I honor God through it?
It might just set apart your to-do list—and your day—as holy.
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“Make your to-do list more than what you will do: Add who you will love. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Ym @DoNotDepart #Holiness”
click here to tweet“It’s not the what that matters, but the who. Not the how, but the why. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Ym @DoNotDepart #Holiness”
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Are you a list maker? How do you prioritize your to-do list? Please share your tips and comments here.
More reading:
A new way to look at my to-do list! I’m grateful because I sometimes find myself getting totally frustrated when “life” (people and things) get in my way of accomplishing what I want to do.
I’m the exact way. :( I pray through Scotty Smith’s devotional book “Everyday Prayers” each morning, and he’s been emphasizing lately this need to slow down for people. So a couple weeks back I started thinking more (again) of who I’m loving through my list.
Then he tweeted this on Monday, which says it so nicely:
“Our ‘to do’ lists are not nearly important today as our ‘to love’ lists.”
I know you love many throughout your week, Dianna; thanks for being an example to us.
Nicely done – adding accountability to the to-do list is brilliant, and emphasizes the real meaning of community within Christianity.
My to-do lists these days center around what’s possible. If I get through them, wonderful, but if I simply can’t, I’ve learned to cut myself some slack and not get angry about it.
I’m glad you’re cutting yourself slack, Andrew. Illness can be the ultimate interruption and one that can’t be ignored. I assume your “community of Christianity” on those kind of days often consist of you, God, and your wife–and that is a beautiful to-love list right there.
What wise advice friend! I am going to re-do my to do list!
I’ve been trying to add the name parentheses on my lists every few days. But perhaps I should take it a step further and make my to-love list first, then put the to-do’s in the parentheses! :)
Praying for you especially this week of June 9, my friend. I look forward to meeting Amy someday myself.
What a great idea, Lisa! I am definitely going to give that a try. Thank you so much!
I am absolutely a list maker. It’s not usually a detailed schedule, just a list of what needs to be done that day. I do, however, separate the fixed-time and essential items (appointments, mailing my mother-in-law’s birthday card) so I don’t miss those among the “Clean the bathroom” kind of things.
I’m right there with you, Melissa. Making sure those “essential” items get written in is something I have to do too. Even this morning as I was making out my list, I had to reorder some things because I had squeezed out some of the essentials. (And I bumped “clean the bathroom” to tomorrow. ha. It can wait.)
I love a good TO-DO list! Crossing off each item gives me a huge sense of satisfaction. Relief. And keeps my scattered brain focused and on point.
http://www.creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2011/01/oodles-of-lists.html
Weaving in your 3 questions toward the end is sheer brilliance, Lisa. And putting my faith to work, even in the dailyness of living.
Thanks, friend!
Thanks for sharing your post, Linda. I love this:
“Writing stuff down energizes me. It clears my mind so I can indulge in more important things.”
That’s me, too. I realize not everybody works that way, but lists do help declutter my mind. And yes, it is very satisfying when I can cross something off. :)
I am a huge list maker- I LOVE this post. It adds God to my daily tasks. Yes, folding laundry may seem mundane, but it’s for my family! Because I love them and they need this done.
What a great way to view my “to-do” list.
Thank you, Lisa.
Thanks, TC. I just crossed off my list “pay bills” (my family). :) It does help us keep a better attitude when we remember why and who we’re doing things for.
These are great thoughts, Lisa. Amazing how a perspective changes everything. I’m gonna try to look at my things I have to get done with this type of perspective.
Yes, perspective definitely makes a difference for me, too, Floyd. Even when it comes to feeding my dog. ha. I have to remind myself that I’m spreading joy in caring for God’s creatures. (And my dog is pretty appreciative herself.)
That’s a very good idea. Mine would be like: my accountant, my bank manager, my client, my other client, … — so “who is on your to-love list?” might raise interesting questions itself — where’s my wife? My son?
If I may though: please don’t forget things that are not on your to-do list. I don’t mean, always be ready to pile on more tasks. I mean some of you Christians, even when you’re not “doing” anything, can spread a very nice vibe, present a very good picture of how to be human. Celebrating the human so well like you do is rare these days.
David
I appreciate you bringing up another reason why it’s good to analyze our lists: if we discover the people we love the most aren’t making the list very often, maybe we need to rethink our lists. Sometimes we get so involved doing for outsiders that we forget the people we’re living with…. Thanks for bringing that up.
I also appreciate your encouragement to be good examples of being human regardless of our tasks. Ultimately that’s what counts the most anyway: who we are, not what we do…the doing flows out of the being. Insightful comments; thanks, David.
Love, love, love this post, Lisa! I’m such a list maker, so I definitely need this reminder to make sure my list is holy!
I’m such a list maker too. I’m surprised I don’t have a list of my lists. ha. But they do help me keep my priorities more in line, so I thank God for that.
Very good reminder. I can get too caught up in the things to do and forget the people behind them.
I hear you, Barbara. I think it’s easy for people like us who are task-oriented to get so involved with doing a good job that we can lose sight of who we’re doing it for in the first place. I definitely need the reminder myself to stop and think about the people.
Hi Lisa! I like the way you help to focus to-do lists to reflect my priorities. They can seem pretty hum-drum and meaningless unless I can see them as supporting my gifts…gifts of family, home, health…all of it. I really like this, and I’ll try to follow it!
Happy Fathers Day!
Ceil
I like how you put that, Ceil: “supporting my gifts.” If we could always view our to-do’s in the light of fulfilling our spiritual purposes, we’d more likely stay on track with them. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.
Lisa, I’m definitely a list maker. It helps keep me on task! Thank you for sharing this perspective. It definitely impacts the priority of the my list!
I’m glad, Kathy. It makes a difference for me, too, when I remember it’s *who* I’m serving, not just another *what*.