day 274: Too Busy

While I am on vacation, I have asked friends, and encouragers of Purposed worKING to contribute. Today's post comes from Jason Illian who is a published author and technology executive who has a passion for helping people live more purpose-driven lives.

Most of us are just too busy. We are too busy working on our jobs, working on our bodies, and working on our relationships. We are too busy trying to “get ahead” and “get on top”. But ahead of whom and on top of what? Instead of stopping and talking with God, we often speed along until all the wheels come flying off. Like the rest of the briefcase-packing mammals, we wrestle with traffic and kids, but very rarely do we ever wrestle with God. We are just too busy.

But God will wrestle with you whether you are ready or not. We often misread the story of Jacob wrestling with God, assuming that Jacob was on the offensive. But if you look closely, the scripture notes, “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” (Genesis 32:24) God jumped Jacob, not the other way around. God was on the offensive. And He did it at a time when Jacob should have been getting some sleep and preparing to meet Esau. He did it when Jacob’s life was exceptionally busy.

God will speak to you at the most inconvenient times. He does it so that you will learn to tell the difference between what is urgent and what is important. Most of our current busyness is matter of urgency, not importance, and that is why we are drained at the end of the day. We have forgotten that God shouldn’t be part of our day; our day should be part of God.

When you woke up this morning, what were your first thoughts? Did you prayerfully consider what God had on His heart, or did you gravitate to the 9 a.m. meeting, the international conference call, or the sales presentation with the executive team? Too often our thoughts are on the latter and it is a reflection of where our hearts are. Disconnected from God.

Most of us are just too busy. We have our arms so full of good things that we can’t reach out and grab God things. We shouldn’t neglect our daily responsibilities as parents and providers, but our meaning and purpose has to be rooted in Christ-centeredness. If you don’t wrestle with God, He will wrestle with you.

We often hear the advice that we have to learn to say “No” to certain things. If you can learn to say “No” to the urgent things and “Yes” to the important things, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your life becomes aligned with God’s will. There are many ways to fill a life, but only one way to fulfill it.

Reference: Genesis 32:24

day 198: The Enoch Scale

The other day I was bouncing back and forth emails with a person who I worked with years ago and who I have recently become reacquainted. He has expressed interest in Purposed worKING, which was a pleasant surprise to me. He is a successful senior executive who has navigated his career across a number of industries and functional areas of expertise. In one of his emails to me he remarked about the need to stay focused on God first and all other second by saying, "you know, it's so hard to do so daily with all of the things I have going on at work". When I read this, I smiled because that is the point of Purposed worKING. Our purpose is to bring glory to God in all that we do, but if we put Him second or third or anywhere down our to-do lists, other than at the top, then we will not fulfill that purpose. Awhile back, we read about "God's Workers"(day 52) as the men and women who were like us and toiled for their wage with worldly professions but were able to keep God first and front of mind in their endeavors. Their faithfulness was recorded over time in different parts of the Bible. We all need examples of others who were and are able to keep their busyness under check and in priority order so that we can learn and follow those examples. While it would be great to understand how Joseph or Moses managed their inbox and daily schedules, we have to take it on faith that if we keep our priorities right that God will take care of the rest. When I am drowning in emails and deadlines, and I want to put off my daily devotional and quiet time, I can be reminded that Joseph was the number two guy in all of Egypt and he still found the time to converse and stay close to God. My other benchmark is Enoch who in Genesis and Hebrews we learn that he walked so close to God that God just took him one day to be with Him. Enoch never died, he just went to be with God. How awesome would that be? And while he was on this earth, he still worked, had a family, probably had a yard and land that he tended, had friends, etc. But he walked so close to God that he was able to be in this world while not being of it. He walked above it all and never let the busyness of his work or life get in the way. Genesis 5:24 says:, "He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life (365 years). Then suddenly, he disappeared, because God took him." We all have crazy days, crazy schedules, overwhelming amounts of things to do, and places to go and people to see. But today, take a few minutes of alone time and reflect on where you are on the Enoch scale. Are you finding time to walk with God among all the things you have to do and are you trying to daily become closer to God or are you letting the tasks in front of you crowd out the One who could be most helpful? Just how close are you letting God walk to work with you today?

Reference: Genesis 5:24 (New Living Testament)