Conquering Your Chaos: No Time to WasteSample

Let me guess. Every day begins in a chaotic fog and ends with some amount of angst about what you did and did not accomplish? As a mother of eight, active in a career, I experience days when there is no physical way to meet every need and complete all the tasks. In the hurly-burly arising from too much responsibility, the Bible offers strategies for conquering our chaotic calendars worth sharing.

The process looks a lot like helping my brother-in-law select his wardrobe. The man is colorblind and has difficulty distinguishing green pants from brown or determining if the shirt is blue or purple. He needs help to recognize what works together and what to avoid. Prioritizing time functions much the same way.

The first step toward conquering the chaos in your daily grind is knowing what God says is important. We don’t have the luxury of pursuing worthless wonderings (Ephesians 5:16), squandering our lifetimes on things that won’t matter in a hundred years (Psalms 90:12). Simultaneously, our regular routines require tending to mundane particulars, like eating and drinking, work, and serving others. How can we ever find the balance?

Paul paves the way forward. “Being transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2) is at the top of the list because it is how we discern God’s “good, acceptable, and perfect will” for our lives. Possessing this knowledge frees us from the bondage of our To-Do lists, as well as our expectations of what should and should not get done.

How do you and I become transformed in our minds so much so that it affects our groove? We think about that which is important to Him. This understanding comes primarily by seeking His Word. It is within those pages He reveals Himself and His heart. Knowing the kinds of priorities and pursuits God says are important for the follower of Christ is our ticket forward. As our thinking transforms, our To-Do lists fall more in line with His heart and mind so that our days are pleasing to Him and eternally significant.

Today, begin seeking your Father to reveal Himself and His ways through His Word. It’s the first step toward conquering your chaos.