My retirement days present the possibility of small task after task after task . . . and that scenario goes on and on, day after day. There's no obvious, living end to it---but, definitely, an end to my stamina to accomplish it. Fatigue, plus unfocused motivation and poorly debated priorities, along with the inability to zero in on a single task---all of these with other accompanying distractions frustrate me endlessly. I know that none of you experience this. And, I'm sure we "need" to map out our activities.
But I'm deciding it may be okay if you can't get to everything or do everything. That wiseacre Mark Twain said, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." However, since my goal is just to get even, not to "get ahead," his pithy observation surely does not apply to me . . . one more excuse on my part? Maybe. I'm beginning to wonder if this may be one of the great dangers of retirement living. After all, the significance level of almost all of my tasks is very low. Andy Stanley says, "We don't drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there."
No flashing cameras and bright lights pursue me---no pressing crowds of people follow my every movement, no microphones are thrust into my every word. My "good direction" is entirely in my own hands and demands that I make all my own decisions with hardly anyone much interested in what I decide. (I wish all the drama people out there would realize this about themselves.) Each moral choice, each practical determination I make, rests entirely within my own reign. Which means, I'm afraid, that in an ultimate sense, responsibility finally rests entirely with me.
It's good I think periodically to stop and reflect---to refocus and to simplify our lives. One of the proverbs says a lot: "Commit your work (all that you're doing) to the Lord, and your plans will be established" ---Prov 16:3." All that is suggested by "established" I'm uncertain. Clearly, and generally, it means put into place and proven. But, the larger, abstract suggestions are blurry around the edges. Once I accepted Christ, I believe that establishing began to happen, slowly to take shape and definition. But, beyond that, I can't really say much other than the committing may be much more than the establishing.
So, my rambling has brought me to a conclusion. Concerning oneself with the "tasks" of daily living has significance, but one that pales in relation to any number of larger issues , such as relationships. So, take care of the tasks, don't let them drift too much, but never allow them to interfere with more important matters. Be very careful in discerning the significance of the daily events of your life (your time). A task is just a task---and so its name.
But I'm deciding it may be okay if you can't get to everything or do everything. That wiseacre Mark Twain said, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." However, since my goal is just to get even, not to "get ahead," his pithy observation surely does not apply to me . . . one more excuse on my part? Maybe. I'm beginning to wonder if this may be one of the great dangers of retirement living. After all, the significance level of almost all of my tasks is very low. Andy Stanley says, "We don't drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there."
No flashing cameras and bright lights pursue me---no pressing crowds of people follow my every movement, no microphones are thrust into my every word. My "good direction" is entirely in my own hands and demands that I make all my own decisions with hardly anyone much interested in what I decide. (I wish all the drama people out there would realize this about themselves.) Each moral choice, each practical determination I make, rests entirely within my own reign. Which means, I'm afraid, that in an ultimate sense, responsibility finally rests entirely with me.
It's good I think periodically to stop and reflect---to refocus and to simplify our lives. One of the proverbs says a lot: "Commit your work (all that you're doing) to the Lord, and your plans will be established" ---Prov 16:3." All that is suggested by "established" I'm uncertain. Clearly, and generally, it means put into place and proven. But, the larger, abstract suggestions are blurry around the edges. Once I accepted Christ, I believe that establishing began to happen, slowly to take shape and definition. But, beyond that, I can't really say much other than the committing may be much more than the establishing.
So, my rambling has brought me to a conclusion. Concerning oneself with the "tasks" of daily living has significance, but one that pales in relation to any number of larger issues , such as relationships. So, take care of the tasks, don't let them drift too much, but never allow them to interfere with more important matters. Be very careful in discerning the significance of the daily events of your life (your time). A task is just a task---and so its name.
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