Call me crazy, obsessive-compulsive or anal, but I’m the type of person whose day’s highlight consists of crossing out items in her to-do list.
I just loooove getting things done. It is a mandatory item in my morning prayers, “Lord, bless the work of my hands, pleeeease!” (Which basically means, “Let me get as much done as I possibly can.) At night, I lull myself to sleep – not counting sheep or my blessings – but going over my day, recounting the tasks I was able to accomplish. If said recount is to my liking, I sigh with delight and merrily drift into the land of dreams about productivity.
There’s so much good I’d like to do for God! Yet my best-laid plans and intentions seem always thwarted by time constrains and limited physical strength. Oh, so wimpy of me and so frustrating!
“Lord, I just want to give you glory!” I cry out, disappointed by what I perceive as a poor performance, deeply saddened by my limitations.
But then, one happy day, I run across this verse and realize my confusion:
John 15:5 and 8, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
And I wonder, when did I begin to equate “fruit bearing” with “productivity”? When did I start thinking that the amount of glory I bring God would hinge on the amount of check marks on a list of accomplished tasks?
The more I think about this verse, the more I realize that in order to bear fruit (and thus give God glory), I must concern myself less with my “doing” and more with my “abiding” in Jesus. How else could I ever display a Christ-like character worthy of one of His disciples? My main “tasks” should be to love Him, abide in Him, and let Him lead me – even when planning my beloved to-do list.
So I guess I need to start praying for more of Jesus in my daily life, more of His glory… and maybe – just for old-time’s sake – His blessing on my list of chores?
