TO DO, OR TO DON'T

                 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.