Once upon a time, someone started some ridiculous rumor that Monday’s should be productive.
If I figure out who that was… I will CUT them. (Just kidding. I have been reminiscing with some college friends lately– specifically regarding the Bon Qui Qui skit from Mad TV.)
But seriously. If I find out who decided that Monday and productive are supposed to go together, we are gonna have words. Productive Monday is an oxymoron if I ever heard one.
Before you think I am pulling a Garfield the Cat move and just going to spend today grumbling about Mondays, hold up. For me, Mondays ARE <sometimes> productive… and a fantastic time for me to get ahold of my TO DO list as I prepare to tackle the week.
I know, I know… I have blogged about list-making before. I am “that girl” who, if I am in the midst of a busy day and accomplish something that wasn’t on my to do list, I will write it down… then mark it off.
Pathetic, I know. But it’s a motivation thing. Take what you can get, right?
My current To Do list method is using Wunderlist. It is a free app for my iPad and syncs with my laptop. (Side note: My Wunderlist crashed on my iPad last week, and I am super proud of myself that I didn’t have a meltdown… mainly because the tasks were synced/saved on my computer.)
Have I mentioned… I love my to do list.
I love my to do list. Let me rephrase that. I love accomplishing my to do list. However, a few days ago, God revealed to me a TO DO LIST DONT…
We can’t get so wrapped up on our “stuff” to do that our list becomes an idol, dictating and directing our day. That is God’s job. Sure, God wants us to accomplish things for His glory (I actually have a list called “Serving the Lord”) but with each task entry and accomplishment, we must keep our eyes focused on Him.
It can be really easy to get sucked into the near idolatry of a to do list. If we think about things we need to do more than our precious time with Christ, we are placing our tasks above Him. This happens if I look at my list before I have my quiet time with Him in the morning. My brain is off and running– good luck redirecting it back to the Father. Yikes.
The other thing that can easily happen is that we schedule our day around our list so tightly that we leave little if any room for God to move… Honestly, I don’t have a lot of blank spots in my calendar. HOWEVER– I am always on the lookout for experiences God has placed in my path along the way. Perhaps it is doing something kind for someone. Or bailing out a friend. Or spending a little extra time with Him.
If our eyes are locked on our list, we risk ignoring the movement and love of God.
So on this GLORIOUS Monday (this is the day the Lord has made, after all) let’s feel free to be productive and lay the smack down on our to do lists. But let’s also keep our eyes on Christ. If we do, we will avoid the To Do List Don’t.
Checking it off for Christ,
SGK
“Do what your king commands; you gave a sacred oath of obedience. Don’t worryingly second-guess your orders or try to back out when the task is unpleasant. You’re serving his pleasure, not yours.” Ecclesiastes 8:2-3 (MSG)
Do you have a TO DO list? What does it look like? It is paper or digital? How do you stay focused on Christ? I would love to interact.
