What if … We Do Something instead of Everything

Hi all! We’re launching into “What if … 10 ways to live well in today’s world.” And, I have to admit, today’s post hit me like a ton of bricks.

What if … we do something instead of everything.

As mommas {and women, in general, I think}, we have this desire to do it all. Even if we don’t give in the voices in our heads, deep down we believe if we could just get the perfect system in place, we could accomplish everything we want.

Y’all, as awesome as that sounds, it’s just not true. We can’t do it all. And we weren’t meant to. But there is another, far more menacing, idea we toy with — that we should be doing all we can.

Here’s the thing, I can do a lot of things. But just because I can, doesn’t mean I should. And it’s an important thing to learn that sometimes {most of the time?} doing something instead of everything is really okay.

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23

Scripture exhorts us to do everything in the name of Jesus; but, God’s Word never instructs us to do everything. The point really isn’t how much we do — it’s how we do what we do. In other words, when we try to do everything, it’s likely we will fail to keep our focus on the Lord. How do I know this? Let’s just say, I’ve got the t-shirt.

What if instead of trying to do it all, we made a different choice? What if we made the decision to something instead of everything? What would that look like in your life?

What if we made the decision to do something instead of everything?http://wp.me/p3aJPA-22Q Click To Tweet

As I’ve been on this journey to live well and experience the abundant life Christ offers, I’ve learned a few things that might help you as you make the decision to do something instead of everything.

Accept the reality you can’t do it all. It has to start there. And I know, it’s hard. We want to believe we can balance everything and keep all the plates spinning. But the truth is, we can’t. Once you have come to grips with this truth, you can move on to
Prioritize what matters. Okay, here is where it can get really tricky. Because everything on your to do list is important. I know, I have a list myself. But if we’re really honest, everything isn’t important. And some things can wait, be done by someone else, or even {gasp!} not be done at all. Once you’ve prioritized, you probably need to
Delegate. Yes, I know … no one else can do it as well as you can. Again, I’m a perfectionist myself. BUT I’ve learned this, just because I can do it better or best doesn’t mean someone else can’t do it good enough. And, more often than not, good enough is enough.

So, how do you decide which some things you should do? Here is the question I always ask myself: What are the things only I can do?

Here’s an example: During this season of life, I rarely attend conferences and only accept speaking opportunities that don’t conflict with Casiday’s cheer and school schedules. Only I can be Casiday’s mom but there are countless others who will fill the seats at conferences and speak at women’s events. And she will only be in our home a few more years — I just don’t want to miss any opportunities to connect with her.

Another example: We’re having company this weekend. And its graduation weekend for the seniors in our church. Every year our church hosts a big reception for the seniors and typically I am very involved with that. But this year, I’m not. I’ll be making a dozen sandwiches on Friday and stopping by the church that evening to hug the sweet students I adore but I won’t be there refilling the punch bowl and taking out the trash after the party ends. Why? Because other people can {and are more than willing} to help … but only I can be the hostess in my home for our friends.

And an even more basic example is laundry—the bane of my existence. No joke! So this week I told Casiday it was her responsibility to get it all done. Has she done it as quickly as I would have? Nope. Has she folded everything the way I would have? Nope. Is it all done after three days? Nope. But she is doing it and so far we all have clean towels and underwear. And, shockingly, the world has not stopped spinning.

It’s easy to trick ourselves into believing the world hinges on us accomplishing all that “needs” to be done and that no one else can do it as well as we can. But that’s just another one of the enemy’s tactics to keep us from remembering the truth:

Christ came so we can have life to the full! Abundant, overflowing life. And that isn’t about checking things off our list — it is about abiding in Him, knowing Him.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he is is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” {John 15:5} When we do whatever we do in Him and for Him and through Him, we bear fruit for His glory. And that, my dear one, is the point.

When we do whatever we do in Him, for Him, & thru Him, we bear fruit for His glory. http://wp.me/p3aJPA-22Q Click To Tweet

When you look at your to do list, know this: it’s okay to do something instead of everything. Just remember Paul’s words, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” {Colossians 3:23}

xo,

Teri Lynne