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Nov 20, 2022 06:00am

Why Do You Do That?

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We are busy people.

Multiple times throughout the week I’ll ask people, “How are you doing? Or “Hey, what’s going on?” The #1 casual answer: “Oh, just busy.”

I think most of us are attracted to “busy”.

Track this with me for a minute…

Somehow our culture has trained us to believe busy people are important people. We fill our calendars and go about our lives at a hurried pace, subconsciously assuming the amount we accomplish equals the amount we are worth.

But the truth is, being frenzied doesn’t look good on anyone.

The truth is, nothing we do creates our value. Rather, our value was predetermined by our Creator. In our mother’s womb, God knew us and fashioned our days according to Psalm 139:13-16.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

And to emphasize the point, God chose to love us even before he made us according to Ephesians 1:4-5.

So, we ought to “do” because we have value; not to gain value. Bonus: God has already planned how He would like us to spend our days. That’s right! Read the last verse again.

We are important and our lives and what we do does matter.

But, being busy is not the same thing as being important.

What’s the point? Maybe it is time to take a inventory and evaluate how we are spending our days. If we aren’t mindful, we will go weeks, months, even years filling our time and keeping busy, but not accomplishing what we were put on this earth to do.

Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Life is short.
Do you want your days to count?

God’s people have a mission.
Do you want your life to have meaning and purpose?

It is possible to design your life with intention.
Do you know why you do what you do day in and day out?

Or, are you just busy?

Live like you matter by prioritizing how you live.

I totally relate to this quote:
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” Steven Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Over the years, God has taught me the art of prioritization, and I want to share it with you. Here are three steps to help clarify and prioritize:

Step 1: Ask, what do I value?
Jot down the things that your soul knows are most valuable. Think from a funeral home view. What will really matter when all else is over? Take 60 seconds and make a list.

Step 2: Ask, what do I value most?
Reality check! Everything feels important. But, 24 hours per day is all we get. By design. Because we do not know how many days we have, we must narrow our list to what matters MOST and then use those true priorities to create a filter. A priority filter can help us fill our calendar with intention, giving meaning and purpose to our “busy”.

Step 3: Ask, what is required?
This step cannot be skipped. After you have narrowed your list of priorities, define specific activities that actually support your stated values. For example, if your number one value is a relationship with God, then your activities — your “busy” or what goes on your calendar — should contribute. If you never “do” anything that strengthens your relationship with God and builds your spiritual health, prioritization is off track and your life will become unbalanced. Defining what is required brings clarity and focus to our daily tasks.
The good news? We can always course correct. God is merciful. Hallelujah and Amen! How many times have I needed Him to correct my “busy”? If your life has become a frenzied mess, you can re-prioritize, rethink, and start fresh today. Jesus said He came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Abundant life is best experienced when we are living intentionally according to God’s plan, by His grace, through faith.

It takes effort.
We make choices.
Choose to live like you matter.
To God you certainly do.