Some thoughts on lists and busy-ness

This is the time of year when I am most susceptible to the onslaught of the busy-ness virus. I’m not exaggerating when I say that busy-ness can be a viable disease in my life, especially spiritually speaking. I'm not talking about the productive and meaningful kind of busy. I'm referring to the unfruitful, running around in circles kind.

The illness of busy-ness first attacks my priorities causing me to temporarily alter the importance of things. Then, once my priorities are “adjusted” it’s easy for infection to set in. The primary symptoms of incoming toxicity are frustration, irritability, and poor workmanship. Then the nutritional deficiency (a.k.a. less Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship) begins to have effect. With these factors in place the unfavorable environmental factors become poisonous and balance is just a memory.

In short, it is much easier to nip busy-ness in the bud than it is to stop it once it’s started. I’ve found some preventative measures that seem to be working for me. First of all, when I start to feel the frenzy I spend more time being nourished by the Bible and prayer. Staying tuned in tends to give my priorities more immunity. More recently I’ve started making lists.

Lists are good for short and middle term things that I need to keep organized. Checking off the list gives me a sense of accomplishment and hope that I am making progress.

Another Kind of List

I’ve also become increasingly aware of another kind of list. Long term lists of goals, hopes, and dreams. We recently watched “The Bucket List” on DVD. It was a lot more thought provoking than I had anticipated. Without giving too much away I’ll try to say something about what I got out of the movie. The “bucket list” itself started out as a philosophical assignment to create an inventory of things to do before one “kick’s the bucket”.

I’ve never made a real “bucket list” but I have a rather rough and incomplete draft of one that simmers somewhere in the back of my mind. The list of things we want to do or to accomplish in life would be very revealing of what is in the soul. I wondered, if I had such a list, how in the end, my list of “wannas” would compare to the list of things that I actually did accomplish. In the movie the list boiled down to what brings us joy and what gives joy to others. Hmmm, something to think about.

Last year I read “101 Things You Should Do Before Going to Heaven”, by David Bordon and Tom Winters. The title pretty much tells what it’s about. I got it back out as my mind turned to the concept of lists. There are some things listed in the book that I probably wouldn’t put on my list, but it helps me get the wheels turning. Here’s a few chapter headings: Eat Cheesecake for Breakfast, Be An Answer to Prayer, Grow a New Friend, Read the Classics, Clean Someone Else’s Toilet.

I’m going to start an official list of my own. I don’t think it can hurt to record the desires of the heart. Maybe bringing these things forward a little with some focus and attention will open my spiritual ears to better hear the plans God has for me. I expect some things on the list will change as I change and my hearing becomes sharper. I also expect that some things on the list will never change.

I’m not going to make a lot of rules and regulations for my list. I’m going to allow the frivolous and impractical to sit with the heartfelt and soulful. Then I plan to listen.

1 King 19: 11-12 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

The prescription I've written myself for the prevention of busy-ness is to be still before the LORD. For me this is the most challenging and most important aspect of my lists, my thoughts and my actions.

As the list or lists develop I will share them here. Are you a list maker? I would love to hear about what's on your list. Thanks for stopping in. - Lisa