Soaring Through Your To-do List
I am a doer, a task oriented person. I like to make a list and check things off. In fact, I 'm so bad that sometimes if I do something and it's NOT on my list, I write it down just so I can have the satisfaction of checking it off.
Do you ever grow weary of doing good, though? Maybe you're a mom with young children or teenagers. Perhaps you work outside of the home or volunteer on a regular basis. Maybe you're faced with caring for a loved one or spouse who is ill or you may be single and all of the responsibilities of life fall on you. The point is that none of us has a shortage of things to do. If anything, we have a huge surplus, and sometimes we just get weary!
About a year ago as I was having my quiet time one morning, I was telling the Lord just that. I told him how tired I was and how absolutely exhausted I felt, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. Then my eyes came across Galatians 6:9 that says this:
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give.
The word for weary in that verse means to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out and exhausted.
That was exactly how I was feeling about my life - my job, my family, my friends, my house - everything! Then it hit me. My day-to-day activities had deadened my heart. I was going through the motions and everything was becoming mundane and lifeless.
Now don't get me wrong, I was still reading my Bible, praying and doing all sorts of "good things." They were all on my list so of course I was checking them off! But my heart was not engaged, and it certainly wasn't at rest. I had gotten so busy running around the altar serving God, that I hadn't taken the time to sit at the altar, ponder His greatness and worship Him.
So Psalm 27:4 became my prayer:
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple.
God began to remind me of something I had forgotten. He reminded me that the one thing that absolutely had to be on my list each day was truly worshiping Him. He showed me that in worshiping Him my strength was renewed, my heart was revived, and I could soar through tasks with more joy than ever before. Basically, my work became an overflow of my worship as I allowed my heart to be fully engaged with the wonder of God.
Isaiah 40:31 says ...
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they will walk and not faint.
The word that is used for wait in that verse means to attach one's self to. That tells me that as I attach myself to the Lord daily through worship and the Word, I will be renewed, gain strength and soar!
Are you wearied and burdened today?
Does your to-do list seem never-ending?
Have you lost your energy and focus?
Try putting down the to-do list and concentrate on "one thing" today - worshiping Jesus! Sing, read your Bible, pray, sit and ponder the greatness of God. As you purposefully accomplish God's to-do list rather than your own, something amazing will begin to happen. You will watch the wonder return, feel your energy restored and feel your heart begin to soar!
Have a joy-filled week!
Jacqueline Heider
Women's Ministry
