I like checklists. As I have probably mentioned before, I am the type of person who will write something down on a list for the pure joy of being able to cross it off. There is a sense of accomplishment in completing a task and there is a feeling of resolution in being able to remove it from my list. For many this might not make sense, but for some, I’m sure it does.
The challenge is that sometimes the state of my to-do list is reflected in my attitude. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or ineffective at getting things done, I can get frustrated, discouraged and snippy. Even when I’m able to prayerfully fight these tendencies there still can be a feeling of uncertainty as I look at what I wanted to accomplish and compare it to what I actually did and the amount of daylight I have left. Deciding what I’m going to push off until tomorrow can become another chore and impetus for annoyance unto itself.
However, what I need to remember is that my job is not first and foremost to get things done. In whatever sphere of influence you consider – as a wife, as a mother, as an employee or as a church-member, I’m not primarily a task completer. Instead, my main objective is to glorify God. Therefore, my main to-do isn’t to finish a task, but to please Him.
George Müller said it this way:
The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.
Did you catch that? Three words are used to describe this purpose: first, great and primary. And the aim is clear – to find rest, contentedness and peace by trusting in God. No other task is of greater import; no other objective supersedes it. When the Christian starts by focusing on Christ everything else falls into its rightful place; everything else becomes secondary.
This may not always be easy. And we can only accomplish it through prayer. But aiming first and foremost to find our happiness in Christ will not only help ensure that our days align with His plans, it will help ensure that our words, actions and attitudes do as well.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about grace. Grace, as I have often heard defined, is “getting something good you don’t deserve.” Obviously, the best and most obvious example of grace is salvation that has been afforded us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet oftentimes, this is where our consideration of grace ends.