As a Christian, wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, boss, friend, teacher, writer, janitor, housekeeper, friend, errand girl, etc…it sometimes becomes difficult to keep everything in perspective. God uses busy people. We have heard the adage that Christianity seems to be a spectator’s sport. Ten percent of the people do the work, and 90 percent are onlookers. Christians today are compared to the team on the field and the fans in the stadium. It sure feels that way sometimes.
Each day I get up knowing there is no possible way to get everything done that I need to do that day. I always keep lists. I would be lost without them. I try to keep up with deadlines. Without these, I would get nothing done. I make separate lists for what I need to do each month, each week, each day …. you get the picture.
We all have to get certain things done by specific deadlines. When school was starting, we had a deadline at school for August 12th. We had to have the academy ready for public scrutiny with our new COVID policies by 8:00 that day. Payroll has to be done by a certain time. I don’t think our staff would appreciate it if we did not getting around to meeting payroll.
In reality, I have lots of deadlines in our ministry. I won’t bore you with all of those. But I have daily goals, too. I want to be a good teacher. I need to plan a devotion to minister to my students, grade papers, and study for classes. Teachers have responsibilities besides showing up for class.
If I am not careful, I can spend all of my time with the ministry and put relationships on the back burner. As you know, relationships must be nurtured. I need to minister to my husband, my children, and each person that is a part of my life.
How in the world do we have balance? It is not easy. It is difficult to know what is the priority each day. I always feel I could have done better. I beat myself up a lot. It is impossible to be good at everything. I am frustrated because I do not feel I do my best at anything. I want to spend more time with my children and friends. I would love to spend more time with my grandchildren-but the time is just not there.
Luke 14:26 states, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Is this teaching I should hate my family? Of course not! The text is teaching that I am to love God so much that my love for my family would seem like hate in comparison. Who gets the short end of the stick most days? My Heavenly Father and my poor husband. If I am to love God the most, why do I spend the least time with Him? Yes, most of my day is spent in His ministry. However, it is not spent with Him. For part of my day, He wants my undivided attention in prayer and worship. His desire is for me to study and learn His Word. God wants all of me.
I know I am doing what God wants me to do, but I feel guilty so much because I always fall short. Maybe that is my flesh or the devil whispering in my ear. Yes, I am supposed to do my responsibilities and deadlines. Yes, I am supposed to minister to my family and friends, yes, and most importantly, I am supposed to spend time with my Lord. So how am I supposed to do it?
First, I must get up in the morning and ask, “Lord, what would You have me to do today? What do You want on my list?” So often, we don’t ask His opinion about our lists. We just make a plan and expect Him to bless it.
Second, I must learn to say “no” sometimes. If you just can’t do it, say no. That means respectfully to your spouse, your parents, coworkers, or friends. Sometimes our spouses or friends don’t know what is on our plates. My husband asks very little of me. But on occasion I may say, “Is it okay if I do it tomorrow…. or can it wait until …?” If that happens, I always let him know when I can get it done.
Third, give yourself a break. When you can’t finish everything, it is okay. I usually set a time when I make myself stop working, unless there is a deadline I must meet.
Fourth, we must be okay with the best we can do in the time that we have.
Fifth, as long as what we do is for our Lord, and we do the best we can, we are not allowed to beat ourselves up.
I am sure there are more things I could mention. If you live a full life, I am sure you experience frustration when you are not able to finish your list. As long as we are not lazy or wasting time, we must be okay with doing our best each day. Maybe it is time to purge our lists. Let’s get rid of the things that steal our time from the important things in life.
We must be sure that we give God the prominent place He deserves in our days. We need to talk to Him, and more importantly, we need to listen. Let God make your lists from now on. It will make for a much more fulfilling day!
Mrs. Worthington has five children and twelve grandchildren. She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.