Meeting that deadline. . . .

 

Deadlines aren’t bad. They help you organize your time. They help you set priorities. They make you get going when you might not feel like it. –Harvey Mackay

 

How full is your plate right now? How many things do you absolutely have to get done before bedtime/ tomorrow/ next week? 

And how much of that stuff is life-or-death important?

Some people don’t feel like they’re doing their job if they’re not really, really busy. All the time. The longer the list, the more successful the world thinks we are. The more we check off, the better we (ought to) sleep at night.

Life is short. None of us knows how many days we have left, how many beats our heart will offer before giving out. All those lists of Stuff To Do become pretty irrelevant in light of our own mortality.

So what really matters?

Here’s what I think: What really matters is how well we have loved. Not how many hands we have shaken or how many books we have read or written. How many people, at the end of the day, will look in our direction and say, “In the person’s life, I see the Love of Jesus”?

We are only promised today. Twenty-four hours to make a difference. What will you do, today, to change your world?

 

Monday Let peace begin with you. During the day, make time for rest or meditation; do less. Give thanks for the silence in your heart. Numbers 6:24-26

Tuesday Pray today, by name, for a friend or family member whose life is in need of peace. (Can’t think of anyone? Choose someone from the prayer list.) Pray that God’s holy peace would fill their soul. John 14:27

Wednesday Find an opportunity to do an extra kindness for someone you do not know—just because. (If you can do this anonymously—bonus!) Thank God for the gifts God has given you; ask God to reveal even more opportunities to use them. Colossians 3:15-17

Thursday Pray for our peace officers, those men and women whose vocation is to protect and serve, keeping us safe on a daily basis. Give thanks for their service, and thank them in person when the opportunity arises. Isaiah 58:5-7

Friday Pray for the world. Pray for those enduring chaos, confusion and pandemic, whose lives seem hopeless or pain-filled. Pray for God’s presence in the lives and hearts of those affected by conflict. Philippians 4:4-7

Saturday Take another chance to pause in silence. Pray for a loved one. Remember a time of God’s faithfulness in your life and give thanks. Isaiah 61:1

Sunday Pray today, by name, for a nation in conflict. (Afghanistan comes to mind.) Pray for the Holy Spirit of peace to be made manifest in our world. Give thanks for your faith family of love and peace. Isaiah 58:9-14

 

The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough. –Rabindranath Tagore

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