TO DO, OR TO DON’T
I once read
a book that used the phrase “The tyranny of the urgent”. While the source of
that quote escapes me, the truth of it does not. I was struck by it the other
day as I wrote my “to-do” list for the weekend. It is always a long list. It always contains things I just know are
essential to accomplish, and to accomplish now!
It is also almost never true. So far, at least, the world has never ended when
my list is not finished. The work is never done.
Several things enter into this
thought.
-Some things
don’t make the list, but will happen anyway: unexpected interruptions,
distractions, and in these days a wide selection of electronic devices that
clamor for our attention.
-I will
either consciously or unconsciously prioritize the list.
-I will be
often if not always be influenced, in varying degrees, by those things that
feel “urgent”.
As I made my
list that day, my conscience was pricked by the realization that something was
missing. The list may have included some quiet time, but there was something
else that at least should have had an “honorable mention”, as it were. When
would I spend some time, some energy, some resolve to pursue God at a deeper
level than just everyday quiet time? I own dozens of books, some unread, of
great men of God. Their lives, struggles, triumphs, failures, lessons from life
that would greatly impact my life, lay gathering dust. But I will tackle those
projects around the house. I will watch that ball game. I will…well, you fill
in the blank for your own life.
For me, it
has to be planned, intentional, and usually on paper. I’m a list kind of guy.
That should be helpful, actually, because I could plan ahead. But it’s not
automatic. For instance, I can write this, know that it’s true, have a bucket
load of good intentions, and fail to follow through.
So it does
come down to priorities, but it is more than that. It is being intentional
about that list. It is about the will to make the “tyranny of the urgent” bow
to what really matters. Maybe I need to make a to-don’t list, those things that
I will choose to position as optional, rather than letting them determine my
schedule.
J.C. Ryle says the following. “Boast not of
Christ’s work for you, unless you can show us the Spirit’s work in you. Believing and doing are blood-friends. I
suspect that often complaining that we cannot do anything about our own
corruption is only a cloak to cover spiritual laziness, or an excuse for
spiritual sloth.” Ouch! Ryle usually doesn’t mince words. What he doesn’t say
is that we don’t have time, or that other things are more important. It’s just
laziness and sloth.
The thought
that comes to my mind is this: If my schedule reflects what matters in my life,
how does that stack up if I compare the amount of time spent? How does the time
in study and reflection compared to the time I spend on electronics, watching
TV, or in any of a dozen other pursuits? If you are like me, my success in this
area is very far from impressive.
None of this is to say that we should not have time
for relaxation. But squeezing in down time is not usually our biggest struggle,
is it?
Now, if
you’ll excuse me, I have a list to write, hopefully with some thought of what really
matters.
