Pulled In Too Many Directions

This morning I have a feeling that most of us share all too frequently..."AHHHHHHHH!".

Yesterday, I took the day off.  I wish it were because my children were home from school for a holiday (which they were).  I wish it were to spend time with my wife.  Instead, I had a date with my bed and the epic movie "Ben Hur".  I had caught a "bug" and spent the entire day covered up in a quilt while dozing in and out.  I think I caught all the high points of the movie in between naps.

Regardless, this morning I find myself a bit overwhelmed by what was already a calendar filled with meetings, tasks, and my weekly to-do's.  Take away one of the days and a hectic week gets compounded seemingly exponentially.  How in the world do I do all of this?

The answer to that question is simply, "I don't have to."  Certainly, I might be able to...but in the grand scheme of things, the world will not come to an end if every task on my checklist doesn't get marked off.

In all actuality, it is not a question of "How do I do all of this?", but more so a question of "How do I go about all of this?"  I believe a hectic life has to be addressed intentionally and purposefully without hefty expectation of being able to walk on water.

I don't have the market cornered on dealing with a stress filled hectic schedule, but I do try my very best to address my life intentionally and purposefully.  Sometimes, God helps me get it all done.  Sometimes, there are still things that go undone and the world has yet to come to an end.  In fact, God still does amazing things in both my life and my ministry despite my occasional inability to complete every task on my list.

I try to IDENTIFY everything that could or should be done during the week.  There is a difference between "could" and "should".  Some things have to be done, some things truly need to be done, then there are those things that could be done.  If something has to be accomplished or needs to be accomplished, those move up on the priority list.

It's important that we PRIORITIZE.  I personally prioritize each day.  Biting off my schedule in chunks makes it easier to digest.  After plugging in the "has to be" and the "need to be" done's, I am free to fill the rest of my day with what "could be" done.

When it is all said and done, I have to REALIZE.  I have to realize that I can't always do it all.  If I am intentional about making sure what should be done gets accomplished and I maximize my time with the could be done's...what is left is....well, It's ok.  I can only do so much.

Just this morning I was readying a blog written by a friend who has been experiencing some of these same feelings.  He said this in his conclusion,

"... today really helped me take a deep breath and turn over to God what belongs to God… FUTURE EVENTS. The only thing that I need to be focusing on is my effort. Because at the end of the day all I can do is all I can do, and all I can do is enough. The rest is up to God."


All I can do is enough.  The rest is up to God.  No truer words have ever been spoken.