The Lord has created me as someone who loves being active. This is useful in ministry since there is always plenty of work to do on the field, at the same time, this can be a curse since the Lord is not always glorified in busyness.
I’m obviously not saying that the Lord wants us to be lazy and do nothing. Instead its Gods plan that I be effective, focusing my energy on the specific tasks that He has for me each day.
Because busyness emphasises doing things, it can result in an exhausting day hustling from one job to the next. The sad thing after collapsing into bed at the end of that day it often seems as if nothing was truly accomplished for God.
This emptiness comes because busyness finds it’s identity in accomplishing as many things as possible, while God desires for us to accomplish His will.
It took me a while to learn this lesson, but once I did, the Lord helped me focus on an effective life that accomplished His plans each day instead of trying to hurry from one job to the next.
My process is pretty simple:
- Every task to be accomplished or important thought is put into a software that organises to do lists (I use an app called Things) because my short-term memory will forget it
- At the end of the day, I write down fifteen to twenty important tasks that the Lord would have me accomplish, and put it in my pocket (that short list becomes my basic agenda for the day)
- And in a planner carried in my backpack I have a basic schedule broken down into thirty-minute, or hour long blocks
The key to effectiveness is basic but important
Work cannot be random
By that I mean my energy must be invested directly in the plans or agenda that God has for my life today. Its better to do ten to fifteen things that glorifies the Lord than twenty-five that are my own plans.
In a deeper sense effectiveness gives up control over my time. Through a process of prayerful planning my agenda or daily schedule is held with an open hand so that the Lord can change it as he sees fit. Though this does lead to frustration at times, the Lord is now able to use my energy in the way that truly glorifies Him.
I’m still learning this lesson the hard way. However the Lord is graciously teaching a life that brings itself into alignment with Gods plans is better than just being busy
Johnhwilburn.org 