Schedule Clutter

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Weariness is often the result of trying to do more than God intends; which means I am not letting Him order my day.  Think about that for a few moments. God doesn’t intend for one to be rushed, hurried, burdened or tired because we are racing through life trying to cover more miles than we have fuel. He wants control of our entire life including our schedule. When He has control we have perfect order because we are doing exactly what he wants, nothing more nothing less.

I am not being naïve. I realize that there are situations and jobs that require us to work in a manner that is beyond our control. I also realize that 99.9% of the population is waiving their hands in the air thinking I just described their situation.

I am working at this myself.  Busy does not always equate with productive. Busy will usually obtain some praise from those watching our frantic pace but I am becoming more and more convinced that chaos in our lives should be a caution flag and well meaning friends waving the green flag of praise should exchange it for a red or checkered flag. The plumb line is our relationship with Christ and those who love us should hand out speeding tickets when we are racing ahead of where Christ wants us.

We often display weariness like a winner’s trophy. God doesn’t intend for us to burn out or rust out. He simply wants us to be dependent upon Him.

If every thirty minute slot is filled in your day timer you may want to ask yourself these questions.

1.    Am I praying about my schedule?

2.    Am I pursuing ways to eliminate schedule clutter?

3.    Am I prioritizing my schedule in this order? 1) God, 2) Family,  3) Occupation

4.    Am I seeking counsel from others? Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 19:20

5.    Is the time I spend complaining about my schedule greater than praying, pursuing and seeking counsel combined?

6.    Am I willing to let to admit I have schedule chaos and allow God to order my day?

If the following comments or responses are part of your daily conversation you may be ignoring God’s planning for your life. Like I have time for that! I can’t add a single item to my schedule. I am running on empty. My plate is full. You want me to do what? I am up to my ears with work. I don’t have time for anything else. I can’t help myself I am a workaholic or I have a type A personality. Hobby, you have to be kidding I don’t have time for a hobby. More often than not these types of comments are used to coax someone into throwing a few complimentary bones our way.

If your schedule is so filled God couldn’t call an audible if He wanted you are running the wrong plays.  

A schedule that leaves you panting for breath is not the mark of a Spirit filled life, a fruit of the Spirit or an indication of a mature believer. It simply means that you are in the driver’s seat and at very best Jesus is riding along in the passenger seat.

If you are driving yourself at a break neck pace it might be time to pull in for a pit stop!