I meet with two other guys on most weeks for accountability. I have about a dozen important life issues that I go through and give an accounting on each week. When I have a mediocre/bad report in several areas of my life, as I get to the end of my report, I usually realize that every individual thing that I’m struggling with comes down to ONE thing. For example, there are usually a couple times a year where I haven’t been spending time with the Lord on a given week, and I recognize that everything else that is not going so well would probably be going much better if I just spent time with the Lord daily. Sure enough, the next week, I spend time with the Lord daily, and my marriage improves, my ministry improves, my attitude improves, etc.
This week at accountability I was reporting several things I’ve been struggling with. It was one of those times where I realized that everything came down to ONE thing… I’ve been very busy, and been letting that squeeze out some of the most important things. I came home determined to not let that happen anymore. These last few days I have been prioritizing the most important things (making appointments to do them) and just doing them, not letting other things get in the way. As a result, these last few days have been the best days in recent months. Friday night Angie and I could have easily gotten busy around the house, like we usually do, but instead we stopped, snuggled up on the couch and spent time together. Saturday day, I didn’t plan a bunch of chores, instead I made an appointment to hang out with my son, and we had so much fun. Saturday night, instead of vegetating in front of the TV, I turned it off and picked up a book; it was just as relaxing, more rejuvenating, and much more productive. This is the first weekend in months that has felt rejuvenating. I’ve been doing things that I thought were relaxing, like TV, only to be stressed the next day. I’ve been doing things I thought were productive, chores, only to feel unproductive at the end of a weekend. Things like TV and chores have their place, but not at the neglect of things like my family and improving myself.
What are the really important things you may be neglecting because you are busy?
What are the things keeping you busy that need to get put in their proper place?
I found that I still got plenty accomplished this weekend. I am more revived than I’ve been in a long time, which is probably because I’ve focused on the things God says are the priorities (He knows how things work best), rather than the things my flesh and this world say are the most important. May the same be true for you in the following weeks.
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