Lesson 10
I. Introduction.
Often in life we tend to think that because we have uncompleted
tasks or dreams that we haven't fulfilled, that we are a failure,
we are inept, or we are weak because we can't get everything done.
We also find ourselves with our priorities turned around in trying
to accomplish everything that we want to do. The Christian must
constantly be examining his/her priorities in light of God's Word,
and adjusting the things that they commit their efforts to. We
are going to try to address these two concerns today.
II. Repeat to yourself, "Life Isn't a Constant Emergency"
John 11:1-45
In some ways, this strategy epitomizes the essential message of
"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". Although most people
believe otherwise, the truth of the matter is most of life is
not an emergency. Hundreds of thousands of people have neglected
their families, their dreams, and their God because of their propensity
to believe that life is one big emergency. They justify their
neurotic behavior by believing that if they don't work eighty
hours a week, they won't get everything done.
A homemaker and mother of three children once said, "I just can't get the house cleaned up the way I like it before everyone leaves in the morning." She was so upset over her inability to be perfect that her doctor had prescribed her anti-anxiety medicine. She was acting (and feeling) like there was a gun pointed at her head and the sniper was demanding that every dish be put away and every towel folded-or else! Again, the silent assumption was, this is an emergency! The truth was, no one other than she had created the pressure she was experiencing. We probably all have pressures in our workplace that we have either imagined or brought on ourselves.
There are very few people who haven't turned little things
into great big emergencies. We take our own goals so seriously
that we forget to have joy along the way, and we become to hard
on ourselves. We take simple preferences and turn them into conditions
for our own happiness. Or, we beat ourselves up if we can't meet
our self-created deadlines. The first step in becoming a more
peaceful person is to have the humility to admit that, in most
cases, you're creating your own emergencies. Life will go on if
things don't always go according to plans, and if it doesn't,
we will have God to judge the things that we have done. Hopefully
we will have prioritized and done the things that matter to our
eternal life. Luke 12:16-21
III. Keep Asking Yourself, "What's Really Important?"
Matt. 19:16-26 It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed in the chaos,
responsibilities, and goals of life. Once overwhelmed, it's tempting
to forget about and postpone that which is most near and dear
to your heart. We can help ourselves by constantly asking "What's
really important?"
As part of our early morning routine, we could take a few seconds to ask ourselves this question. It reminds us of what's really important in keeping our priorities straight. It reminds us that, despite the multitude of responsibilities, we have a choice of what is most important in our lives and where we need to put our greatest amount of energy--being available for God's work, for husband or wife, for family, and so forth. When we take a few moments to remind ourselves of what's really important, we find ourselves to be more present-moment oriented, and in less of a hurry. Conversely, when we forget to remind ourselves of what's really important, we tend to lose sight of priorities and, once again, get lost in our own busyness. We rush out the door, work late, lose patience, skip praying and studying, and do other things that are in conflict with our goals in life.
IV. Live This Day as if It Were Your Last, It Might Be!
Remember Luke 12:20? When are we going to die? In fifty years,
twenty, ten, five, today? Last time I checked, no one on earth
could tell us for sure. Have you often wondered, when listening
to the news, did the person who died in the auto accident on his
way home from work remember to tell his family how much he loved?
And more importantly, was he right with God?
The truth is, none of us has any idea how long we have to live, Sadly, however, we act as if we're going to live forever. We postpone important things that, deep down, we know we want to and need to do--telling the people we love how much we care, spending time alone, visiting others, writing a letter to someone, going fishing with our son/daughter, becoming a better listener, obeying God, or following his word more closely in our lives. We come up with elaborate and sophisticated rationales to justify our actions, and end up spending most of our time and energy doing the things that aren't all that important. We argue for our limitations, and they become our limitations.
We should live our lives as if each day were the last. This
is not to say that we abandon our responsibilities, but to remind
us of how precious each day is in regard to our God, our Family
and and our fellow Christians.
Happy Verses: Joshua 24:15, Hebrews 9:27-28.