To-Dos vs. Blessed-To-Dos
Perpetual To-Dos
Stuck to the refrigerator. On my phone. My desk at school. The kitchen countertop. A notepad in my backpack. A Google document. Scribbled on sticky notes, paper scraps, my hand. Rattling around in the undependable spaces of my cerebrum, ideally to be recalled at the proper moments but more likely to be forever lost to the void of aging brain fog.
My to-do lists occupy each of these locations, often all at the same time. To-Do Lists. Right. Maybe “Won’t-Get-Done Lists” would be a more accurate title.
There is just Always. So. Much. To. Do!
At least it feels that way.
God blesses us with 1440 minutes a day. Allowing for a healthy 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night, each rotation of the earth allows us just under 1000 minutes of waking time.
Each of those 1000 minutes is a gift from God. God also grants us the freedom to choose how we use those minutes.
How do you use your minutes?
How do I use mine? Certainly not by efficiently checking things off my list.
If you read my previous post, you know that I readily admit failing to dedicate enough of those minutes to productive accomplishment. I regret the poor decisions I made when choosing ways to pass time. (Thank you to all who shared that they could relate! It is apparently a common struggle.)
How should I use my allotted minutes? Lack of choice is rarely the issue when determining how to use time. One glance at the to-dos on my list and I become overwhelmed with the number of options. One option is not necessarily better than another, so how do I choose?
I doubt that my lifetime will see the end of the struggle of balancing all of the must-dos, should-dos, could dos, want-to-dos, and get-to-dos. My goal is to better develop my processes for determining best use of time and then carrying through on wisely-productive intentions. I won’t ever reach perfection on this side of heaven, not even close, but I will strive for continual growth.
Where else to turn for guidance but to the ultimate source of truth and wisdom?
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
How we spend our time is a reflection of our priorities. One time-consuming activity is not inherently better than another; gardening, boating, reading, hiking, crocheting, blogging, napping, cooking, visiting, golfing, and countless other -ings are valid activities.
Any activity can be deemed worthwhile or futile, proper or inappropriate, when viewed through the lens of priorities.
Prioritizing must begin with God. I can’t find any Biblical direction as to how much sewing should be completed or how many meals I should have stocked up in my freezer. However, God does provide guidance for using time in good and wise ways.
General Principles Related to Choosing To-Dos
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 5:15-17 Consider carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise people, but as wise people. Make the most of your time, because the days are evil. For this reason, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, keep working at it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for people, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Keep serving the Lord Christ!
God’s Word also gives guidance about specific uses of time.
Growing in faith
Personal spiritual growth is important. We are better equipped to be appropriately productive as we fill ourselves with the message God gives to us in his word.
2 Peter 3:18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, both now and forever.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Talking to God
Dedicate time for prayer. Thank him for all those opportunities to be productive and ask for his guidance and blessing upon all undertakings.
1 Thessalonians 5:17: Pray continually.
Philippians 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Praising God
Time is wisely spent in living out the joy that comes from being a redeemed child of God. Worship and praise naturally flow from hearts that have been filled!
Psalm 95: 1-3, 6-7 -Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Sharing the truth
Recognition of all that God has done for me results in the desire to share God’s Word with others.
Matthew 28:19-20 Go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Psalm 105:1 Give thanks to the Lord. Proclaim his name. Make his deeds known among the peoples.
Serving others
There are always people around us who could benefit from our time. We have many opportunities to use our time in service to others.
Philippians 2:4 Look carefully not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
1 John 3:17-18 Whoever has worldly wealth and sees his brother in need but closes his heart against him—how can God’s love remain in him? Dear children, let us love not only with word or with our tongue, but also in action and truth.
Working
Labor is a fitting and necessary part of our Christian living.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 If anyone does not want to work, he should not eat.
Proverbs 28:19 A person who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever pursues fantasies will have plenty of poverty.
Caring for family
The members of our families deserve a good portion of our time. Time spent caring for the members of one’s family and strengthening familial relationships is pleasing to God.
1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own family, and especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Ephesians 6:1, 4: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right… Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33: Husbands, love your wives, in the same way as Christ loved the church… In the same way, husbands have an obligation to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself… In any case, each one of you also is to love his wife as himself, and each wife is to respect her husband.
Resting
God invites us to take the time to rest, and he blesses us with sleep.
Matthew 11:28 Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Psalm 127:2 It is useless for you to get up early and to work late, because God grants sleep to the one he loves.
Self-Evaluation
How do my lists measure up to these principles? I’d like to believe that I don’t specifically include them on my actual lists because they are a given. But I know that’s not always the case.
My to-do lists include quite a few items that are not of critical importance. Little to no harm results from not checking off these items. There is no urgency for completing certain to-dos. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are useless tasks, but they don’t meet the criteria for top priority.
When I fail to do the work God has given me to do, though, I must honestly examine my priorities. Have I become so busy that I have relegated opportunities to grow in the Word and serve God to the bottom of my list? If so, I am definitely too busy.
An honest look at God’s guidance about wise use of time reveals that I have failed repeatedly to do what he has asked of me. I have neglected to prioritize daily time in the word. Selfishly, I have tended to my own desires and failed to care for the needs of those around me. I have not let the joy of being a redeemed child of God exuberantly flow out of me so that others may come to know the same joy.
I discover, and re-discover, and discover yet again (I’m such a slow learner!) that when my priorities aren’t in line with God’s will, I am dissatisfied with my productivity in other areas of life.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Keeping my focus on the priorities God sets forth in his Word makes a certain difference in all that I endeavor to accomplish. Less fretting over the relatively insignificant “didn’t-get-dones” is just one blessing of putting first things first.
To-Dos Done For Me
At day’s end, I am unable to “check off” all the good things that God would have me do. Even on “good” days, sin corrupts my best intentions and efforts. I must repent that not only have I neglected to use my time in ways that God has commanded, but I have also spent too many moments in opposition to God’s will. (Some “-ings” are inappropriate or a clear waste of time.)
My only comfort comes from knowing that my worth is not based on the number of to-dos I am able to check off the list at the end of a day or at the end of the summer.
Jesus perfectly checked off every item on the “Must-Do” list and granted his perfection to me, guaranteeing my salvation. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, knowing that my salvation is accomplished, I rejoice at the opportunities God gives me to use my time wisely. I am blessed with the joy that comes from keeping my priorities in line with God’s will.
A Spirit-filled view of life transforms God’s principles from a list of can’t-help-but-fail “Must-Dos” into opportunity-filled “Blessed-To-Dos.”
Wise use of time remains a lifetime struggle. All of the options persist for filling each box on the calendar or each line of the agenda. The challenge is to keep one’s focus on the big picture and determine on the basis of God’s guidance what is most important, to trust that God may have something different (and better!) planned for the minutes of my day than what I had hoped to get done.
The words of a recent Time of Grace devotion speak to this ongoing struggle and give encouragement for all of us strugglers:
“Like mine, your sin is stubborn. And, like mine, your tempter is unrelenting. He will not let you honor God without a fight. So prepare your heart for the battle. Don’t expect a quick prayer to change your character. Make every effort—memorize Scripture, pray continually, confess frequently, set wise boundaries. You can change, but it will not be simple.
Does the challenge scare you? Then don’t forget Peter’s words: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). Divine power. Everything we need. Our knowledge of God. Our calling as his forgiven, loved, and empowered sons and daughters.
No, it won’t be simple. But with God all things are possible!”
When you or I fail to properly prioritize our time, God invites us to turn to him in repentance. He eagerly offers forgiveness and the blessing of beginning each new day with renewed grace.
Much will remain on my “I sure would like to get this done” list, and there’s plenty on my “I really want to do this” list. Thankfully, God doesn’t ask me or you to give up all of our favorite -ings. Camping, dancing, building, napping, cleaning, shopping, sight-seeing, knitting, baking and all the other activities God gives to us for our enjoyment can be appropriate and good when kept in perspective.
I pray that God will increase my ability to keep all of my to-dos in proper perspective and to help me make the most of every opportunity to do what is most important, that whatever I do, it will bring glory to him.
