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Thursday, November 29, 2007

God's Time Management

I had fallen into a trap. It was a trap that was made up of a 3 ring binder, some planner pages and lots of unrealistic expectations. I had become a slave to the feeling of accomplishment that I received when I could check off a completed task. This began to backfire.

Instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, I began to feel a sense of failure. Why? It is because life happens. Appointments, holidays, birthdays, sickness and unscheduled tasks, they all happen.

I truly believe God used the last few weeks of my life to allow me to see how much more confidence I had in myself and my Household Notebook (that’s what I lovingly called it) than I had in Him. So, He showed me.

Two of my boys have their birthdays 2 days apart. I scheduled a party for the weekend closest to both. The boys dad had to drive to Kentucky to be with his mom during her surgery that weekend so the parties had to be rescheduled. *MONKEY WRENCH*

I had a plan all mapped out for Black Friday. I knew just what I would get for the boys. I was going to stay within budget and still get exactly what they wanted! I woke up at 4 AM like any good Black Friday fanatic and got to the store early only to find out that the Transformers Optimus Prime toy would not arrive on a truck until the next day and they could not offer it at the same price again. This was true of all the stores in this chain. None of them had Optimus Prime. *MONKEY WRENCH*

I like to do things a certain way during the day and if anything else comes up then you guessed it *MONKEY WRENCH*

I get all worked up and discontent because my plan didn’t work. But how many of you know that God has a better plan? One bigger than what we can fit into our Household Notebooks and one better than our best dream could ever reveal. God wants us to trust His plan and He wants us to feel pleasure from His approval and not from crossing things off of our “To Do” list.

My Household Notebook now has a new function. It is now a strategy. It is no longer a false God. I use it when I get distracted so that I can get back on track. If I don’t do something that is listed there then it is no longer a problem. My day will be complete whether I remember to toss out the old food from the fridge or not. I want to end it with a check mark from God.


How about you? Are you suffering from check mark approval?






I'd love for you to visit me at my personal blog: In Pursuit of Proverbs 31

In Pursuit of Proverbs 31

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8 Comments:

Blogger lori said...

I had to LAUGH....I could have written it myself...
I hate to admit it but I have actually written on the "to list" things I have ALREADY DONE...just to get the satisfaction...
I think I needed this one today!
yep! I did!

check mark approval...
you pegged me and now I have a new area to work on...just when I thought I'd gotten control of this Martha thing!:)
thanks Amy,
for opening my eyes!
gotta add it to the 'to do' list;)
you sound much further ahead than I...

♥lori

November 29, 2007 at 1:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to check things off of the 'to do' list! In a family of 7 people, lists become a necessity just to keep up with all of the schedules. But going to bed feeling 'un-done' because there are un-checked items on the list isn't fun. Not being able to relax because, the list still needs a few more checks, is getting old too. Never thought of myself as a slave to my lists, but when THEY order my day, instead of God, I'm pretty sure some tweaking needs to be done. ("The list is a helper, not my boss. The list is a helper, not my boss. The list . . . ") I'm on my way! If YOU can get a grip on the list worship, (you have about 100 more plates spinning than I do) then I can. Thanks for the eye-opener.

November 29, 2007 at 2:11 PM  
Blogger Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

i laughed at lori's comment. when I go grocery shopping and buy something not on the list, I write it down and cross it off so i'll feel better...insane!

loved this post..:)

Lisa

November 29, 2007 at 4:25 PM  
Blogger Delete said...

Amy-

Excellent article! I have to admit my control journal controlled me for a few years. In some ways it seems like i was trying to make sure I had my whole life perfectly in order because I wasn't trusting God to make sure everything was under control. Now I just have a simple list of what I need to take care of each day of the week. I trust more and the fear that something will slip through the cracks is a lot less.

Thanks for the great thoughts!

Jenny

November 29, 2007 at 5:40 PM  
Blogger Susan said...

Hey Amy,

Wow, that was GREAT, and boy can I identify...yikes.

I know all about that *MONKEY WRENCH*!

I'm so blessed God doesn't need our help and all things really do fall in place no matter what.

You are one busy woman, and I'm just so blessed to know you.

Blessings to you my friend,

Susan

November 29, 2007 at 10:48 PM  
Blogger Denise said...

This was really good, thanks.

November 30, 2007 at 10:39 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Wow, Amy, Wow,

I have been found out! I have lists everywhere. Yikes!

Awesome post!

http://unequalmarriage.typepad.com/

December 1, 2007 at 9:12 AM  
Blogger Carrie Grubbs said...

I live by my lists, and I love checking them off as I work. Sometimes I get so busy trying to get things done on my list, that I forget to do the most important things that never make it to my list--loving my husband and children! Check out www.lifechangingseminars.com for lots of Christian time management tips for women! They have new things there everyday.

April 1, 2008 at 9:24 AM  

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