A well meaning friend once echoed the words “good intentions are the pathway to hell”.  Whoa, that was a pretty strong statement.  But the truth of it rang in my heart for years to come.  So much so that I have chosen to do one thing well rather than fifty things halfway.  The story of my life has a hint of interruptions, demands, more things to do than I have hours in my day.  So what does a well intentioned woman do?  She commits her “list” to the Lord!

Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5

My long time friend and mentor (by book, of course, although we did finally get to meet) always said things like ‘work smarter, not harder’ and ‘don’t put it down, put it away’.  Those catchy little phrases really work!  One of the important things to remember is to prioritize.  In my younger years I ran a large license daycare of 14 children and currently am a director of women’s ministry coordinating events, counseling, curriculum writing, so my busy days have only gotten busier.  So whether you work from home or out of the home, raising a family or going to college, training for a marathon or caring for an aging parent , we all have decisions we must make in organizing our day and getting the most from it.

Now, not having converted over to technology completely yet, I am still drawn to the pencil and paper.  So before I go to bed I take the time to check that days list and cross out anything and everything I may have accomplished.  If I completed a task and it’s missing I write it down and cross it off anyway, yes, I am one of those weirdo’s, it gives me that sense of accomplishment. I then proceed to write down tomorrow’s tasks on a list.  And so the cycle goes.

We all tackle our goals in different ways; whatever seems to work best for us.  Many times, however, we get this long list of goals to the point it seems overwhelming.  That seems to be my tendency anyway.  I have all these things I want to accomplish that the weight of the goals themselves cause me to come to a screeching halt with the first interruption.  I had to get over that and so do you my friend.  Only on a perfect day will everything go as planned but in our reality there will be interruptions and we welcome them because typically it is by those whom we care about most.

My math teacher used to tell us to solve the hardest problems first then your brain will be ready to finish the test to the end with little effort.  So whether you start with the hardest or biggest goals and work your way to the smaller medial tasks or the other way around, our goal by the end of the day when we put our heads on our pillow is to feel accomplished.  So how do we do that?

I once googled (I do use technology, its just not always my friend) “What do successful people do first thing in the morning?”.  The overwhelming answer…they began their day in prayer!  Wow, what a concept and it’s free!  To sit in the presence of the Almighty, nothing compares.  He longs to hear us ask, John 15:7 says “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”  He is also the giver of good things.  Look what James tells us in chapter 1 verse 17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” That is true generosity.

So it’s really simple, start your day in prayer.  (we will talk more about what to do when you sit down to pray later) You have already made out your list, now commit it to Him.  Give it over to Him and ask Him to help you prioritize those things that He desires for you today.  If we were to accomplish only one thing today, what would He have it to be?  Don’t forget to enjoy the full value of this day, it’s a gift!