The List
By Lisa Boyer
“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 2:11
When I’m stressed, I make a list. The list helps relieve my stress by taking an overwhelming project and breaking it down into several do-able items. I then work my way through the list crossing things off as I get them done. The idea is that when everything is crossed off the list, the overwhelming project will be done. By Lisa Boyer
“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 2:11
The name of my most recent list was “To get ready for Tuesday.” Tuesday has now come and gone, and I’m happy to report that the event I was getting ready for was a success! Or at least I thought it was until I found my “To get ready for Tuesday” list and discovered that I hadn’t done everything on the list!!! One third of the items on the list weren’t crossed off! Was it possible for the event to have been a success if the getting ready for it list was never finished?
Using the marvels of hindsight, I reviewed the list again… oh yeah, that probably didn’t need to be on the list, um, neither did that, whoa, that either, wow, what was I thinking when I put that on there? No wonder I had been so stressed! I had taken a simple event and created a monster! Not only was the event a success with one-third of the list unfinished, it would have been a success even if I had left one-half of the items on the list unfinished! Better yet, I should have left those things off the list completely.
I’ve always (secretly) prided myself on being like a woman named Martha in the New Testament, a person who gets things done. But there’s a downside to being like Martha… “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made” (Luke 10:40). I had certainly become distracted, and sadly, not all the preparations had been necessary.
How often do I add to my list (and my life) things that aren’t essential? I still want to be a “Martha,” but I don’t want to be worried “about many things” (Luke 10:41) and miss out on important moments.
The next time I am stressed and make a list, I’m thinking it’ll be a whole lot shorter!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Have non-essential things distracted you from what is important? What steps will you take to correct that today?
FURTHER READING:
Luke 10:38-42
Lisa has been married to Ted for 18 years and they have two teenage sons. She is a co-leader for a Junior High girls’ small group at Oakwood Church.
