When Busy-ness Takes Over Pt 1 - The To-Do List
“Describe your life in one word.” Busy. Trust me, I get it. I’ll be the first to admit that I let busy-ness get the better of me. When I started college, I was overwhelmed by everything I got involved in. By the second semester, I became a little better at juggling all the spinning plates. It is so easy to focus on the immediate to-do list. There are errands to run, homework to complete, and classes to attend; the dorm room needs cleaning, professors need visiting, and extra-curriculars need attention. I have a campus job to work and club meetings to attend; this is only the beginning of the list! Ask any college student and they’ll share a similar sentiment. It’s obvious many college kids suffer from a lot of stress and burnout. Are you beginning to see why? It’s not just college students, either. Everyone and their brother are busy bees these days. As I started to write this piece, I noticed that several related but different topics emerged. This is part one in a series about busy-ness; today let’s focus our attention on the dreaded to-do list.
I tend to measure my success at the end of any given day by the number of check marks next to the items on my self-imposed to-do list. If something doesn’t get done, then I tend to feel bad about myself, forgetting all the other work that I got accomplished that day. I tend to pile my plate high. Like, Leaning Tower of Pizza Rolls high. I like to live in the fast lane because I can manage a lot of things at once, but as a consequence, I struggle to slow down every once in a while. It seems like for every item that gets checked off the to-do list, two more things appear. It’s like a hydra of busy-ness that seems undefeatable. I love the things I do, but I find myself getting so tired. Then, suddenly, it occurred to me: Why was I trying to do these things on my own? I can’t do all these things on my own, and I was never meant to!
It is so easy to measure my worth by a checklist, but in all reality, my worth is found in Christ (Colossians 2:10). God won’t love me with any more love if I don’t finish my list, and God won’t love me any less because I fail to complete an item or three. I already have been given all the love that I need or want through Jesus (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 8:38-39). God has strengthened me, and I don’t ever have to face any battles alone (Isaiah 41:10; Deuteronomy 31:6) When I make a checklist, I tend to jot things down as they come into my head. If I’m really busy and feeling overwhelmed, I may number the most important aspects of my list so I make sure I keep my priorities in line. I don’t know about you, but there’s always a few items that never get done, seem low priority, and always end up on the next list. They aren’t super pressing, so they never get addressed. It is so easy to push spiritual matters to the bottom of the list in this way. When things are at the peak of chaos, it seems like it doesn’t matter how many items of the to-do list I accomplish, I am never satisfied. I still find myself wishing for the list to make me feel fulfilled and my productivity to be rewarded. But a list can never make me feel fulfilled, only Jesus can.
But God has already given me a “to-do list” in the Bible that He wants me to follow. Will I do it perfectly? No. But I should do my best to honor God through it (** do all things to the glory of God.) Focusing on God’s “to-do” list can fulfill your heart in a way your laundry list of chores never will. The things God wants us to do are refreshing for our soul and have eternal impacts. Some of the things God thinks we should prioritize and do are:
Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)
Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, strength (Luke 10:27)
Living sacrifice (Romans 12:1)
Rejoice in hope & be patient in tribulation (Romans 12:12)
Always rejoice, pray without ceasing & give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18)
Whatsoever are… think on these things (Philippians 4:8)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not endorsing that Christianity is a list of chores or a checklist. Our salvation is by grace alone and Jesus was never a fan of the Pharisees’ love for obeying the letter of the law and missing the entire spirit of the law (Matthew 23:2-4). What I’m trying to say is that there are Biblical truths that we are familiar with, but we never get around to applying them. We can hear them all day long, but until we decide to make a change in our lives and do them, we will never get the fullest life that God intends for us. Focusing on a couple of these at a time can drastically change the way we live our lives and how we view others. So lay aside your earthly checklist for a while, and start dusting off the items that will have everlasting consequences.
Questions
Instead of focusing on the immediate checklist, how would your life change if you started to prioritize God’s checklist above your own?
What is one item from the list above that you feel you need to work on the most?
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