tyranny of the urgent!

(This was just too good to keep to myself.)

Our SWF (seminary wives fellowship) has a great group of leaders.  ahem...I happen to be the leadership coordinator.  But I'm not talking about me here, but my team.  One of our leaders is Gail.  She is our "newsletter coordinator."  And she constantly amazes me with each  new monthly edition of The Encourager.

In January 2011's edition, she brought to my attention something quite useful...for all of us:

In 1967, Charles E. Hummel wrote a little booklet, Tyranny of the Urgent!  In light of today's iPhones and Facebook, I think a quick review of his article would be helpful for this new year.

Our lives leave a trail of unfinished tasks...but would a 36 hour day really solve the problem?  Our problem is not really a shortage of time, but a problem with priorities.  In John 17, Jesus was able to say the night before His death,  "I have finished the work..."  The gospels show us that Jesus worked hard and long days, yet His life was never feverish;  He had time for people.  A.E. Whiteman says, "We cannot admire the poise and beauty of this human life, and then ignore the things that made it."  What was the secret of Jesus' work?  Mark's gospel account lends us a clue:  "...in the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place and there He prayed"  (Mark 1:35)  Jesus prayerfully waited for His Father's instructions and for the strength to follow them.  He warded off the urgent and accomplished the important.

Something to definitely meditate upon today.

Thank you, Gail, for sharing such an important truth to my heart!