It Has Taken Years But It Is Finally Sinking In...

I meet each Thursday with a very small group of women for coffee and accountability.  Two weeks ago, we were looking for our newest book to read and learn from together. There were many books to choose from Sun Stand Still, Radical, Crazy Love, and the list goes on and on but after our discussion of all of these books that afternoon we got a text from our fearless leader that said, "  K, made a change... final decision. Next study will be WEIRD by Craig Groeschel. Get out and get it! Get ready!! We r normal:) this will rock our world. I'm on page 19."
"Okay," I think to myself I can do this. So I download the sample of WEIRD into my iBooks. Yes, the sample because I didn't have enough money at the time in my entertainment envelope to buy it.  I begin to read the intro and can totally relate to Groeschel on his college years. Mine were much the same.  Then all of a sudden I begin to read Part 1: TIME. I should have known this subject was going to convict me but I never knew how much it would.  God has been working on this area in my life for about 3 years now ever since I broke my foot and I had to rely on others around me. But TIME has always been an enemy of mine. I have often joked that I have " Martha-like" tendencies that I don't know how to say "no."  All of which is true. I never wanted to let anyone down by saying those two letters.  But over the last 3 years it is something I have struggled off and on with.  I will do better for a time and then I let my priorties get out of wack!  There were several things in this first chapter that once again caught my attention. Things that I know God wants to use to make sure I stay on this narrow road...
1. " When we overschedule ourselves in the belief that we can do everything, we stop being human and try to become godlike- not only impossible but also incredibly arrogant. Most of us are living at a pace that is not only unsustainable; it's unbiblical.
2.  " You have enough time to do everything God wants you to do."
3." We need to use the time we already have differently.
4.  " We fall into the trap of beign busy instead of being bigger than the tyranny of the urgent."
5. Normal people allow good things to become the enemy of the best things. Too many good ( or acceptable) things quickly overwhelm the most important things in life.
6. Keeping an "or" in the water prevents filling your boat with so many good things that they ultimately sink the ship.
All of these statements struck me to my core, I can so easily say " yes" to  many "good' things that the important things in my life are shut out. I know this is something I constantly battle but I am believing that if I will allow God to take over He will show me what I need to say "yes" to and what is okay to say "no" to.  I am learning to say "or" and not " and".
Wednesday night, after I had finished making my "To Do List" for work on Thursday I finished this first chapter where Craig ask you to stop and make a " To Don't List", " A What?," I asked myself.  I write a " To Do" list every day but I must say I have never written a " To Don't List".  He wants me to write a list of at least 3 activities in my life that I'm going to drop. I must say I didn't do it that night. I skimmed it but Thursday morning all 4 of us sat drinking our coffee and discussing what things we were going to eliminate so we could focus on more important things.  It was now all about accountability. So we each made our list and shared...
My To Don't List:
1.  Don't stay at work after 4 pm more than three days a week. ( Not sure how I am going to do that but it is called faith, right?)
2. No work email or phone calls after 5 pm each day.
3.  No Facebook, Twitter, reading, skimming, etc on the weekend ( I can post but no spending time on reading about what everyone around me is doing) I need to live more in the present.

There were a few others but these are my top 3. I must say I left work at 3:45 on Thursday but bombed on Friday and left at 5:15.  I did better on the work email and phone calls. I did better than I have in a while this weekend on the Facebook, Twitter but I must say I am a work in progress but I am determined to make a change and am so lucky that I have some wonderful ladies to keep me accountable.
Yesterday before church it all really hit me about how bad I am to say "yes" before really thinking things through, I know God is going to help me and I know that for once it is sinking in. There is no time like the present,right.

 So now that you know what God is teaching me, "What things do you need to put on your " To Don't List"?  How well are using the time that has been given to you?" Just something to think about in this crazy, fast paced world in which we live in.