Conquering Your Chaos: No Time to Wasteনমুনা

The Strange family doesn’t have a nice yard. It’s not unsightly, but we will never win the neighborhood “Yard of the Month” distinction. Oh, I would love a lush lawn with spectacular flowers and prolific bushes. For us, maintaining a prize-worthy landscape is not worth what it costs. Because of such neglect, our curb appeal is in the tank.

The Christian life is about neglect, as well. In Hebrews, we find a powerful urge from the writer “not to neglect our great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3). He is not simply referring to the moment when you become a Believer in Christ. The premise is that you and I must make choices about what will and will not get our attention every day. Which books will we read? With whom will we interact? Where will we spend our money? The writer of Hebrews recognizes that you and I cannot do it all, encouraging us to consider what we will neglect in light of our limitations.

He also understands our tendency to drift away from God rather than toward Him (Hebrews 2:1). Too often, spending twenty minutes scrolling our phones is more inviting than sitting and reading the Bible, in the same way, ice cream is more tantalizing to the tastebuds than broccoli. Chances are, we will neglect something during the constraints of a single day. The question remains, will it be that which causes you and me to drift away from becoming more like Jesus, or toward this aim?

Prayer is our best strategy for confidently choosing to embrace what to check off our lists and leaving the rest undone. While the Bible does not specifically prevent me from growing a nice yard filled with stunning blooms, it helps me understand what is important to God for my life. As you and I pray, the Holy Spirit helps us discern how our list lines up with His priorities. We can ask God to provide the means and time to get whatever He desires done. In this business of neglect, we must trust Him with all our unchecked boxes.

We cannot do it all. It’s time to let God be the Lord of our list. Today, ask what you should neglect to free you to grow toward becoming more like Jesus.