adding hours to your life

So here I go again. Another day and another opportunity. I'm trying to start my day off on the right foot. I learned some great stuff in my small group last night that would be great to apply as I progress throughout my day. Last night we read the Matthew 6.25-34 passage and discussed what Jesus was trying to teach his followers about worry. As I type this post I already feel the worry starting to creep up on me. The possibility that I wont have enough time to get all of my other tasks for today accomplished if I spend too much time writing this concerns me. That concern I have is not a bad thing. When those concerns start to consume me to the point that I am less productive and my hope for accomplishing those tasks starts to decrease, then I have crossed over the line from concern to worry.

So here are a few of my thoughts for this morning "concerning" my worries.

Priorities
If I prioritize my responsibilities I can gradually work at seeing them get accomplished. Not everything is going to get done today. I do have things that need done today and I know that there is something I can do to accomplish those things. Spending too much time being concerned about what the result of my task will be can cause me to worry. Everyone is afraid to fail so I shouldn't feel abnormal because of that. Being concerned is a great thing because it helps me feel more responsibility for getting my goals accomplished. Being consumed by the results can decrease my effectiveness in getting my tasks done.

Process
If I am honest with myself I will understand that I can't perfectly accomplish all my tasks today. If I truly love what I do I will never be satisfied until it is being done in the best way possible. So I will leave space in my spirit for mistakes to help me grow. If things are not perfected today there will be another chance tomorrow. I will always be able to play a part in the process of "perfecting" my tasks.

Humility
I need to be humble enough to admit when I don't know how to accomplish my tasks. If I ask questions to figure out how to do something I am struggling with I may save myself hours of trying to figure it out. If I need to learn how to do it anyway why not ask someone who knows how?

Love
I want to love my job today. Some of the things I do may not be ideal or even enjoyable but they always help me learn more about myself and what I'm made to do. I know there will always be tasks that I have to accomplish no matter how much I hate doing them. But those tasks should never be the majority of what I am spending time on. If they are then I am wasting my time because I'm in the wrong profession. I am always being shaped to love what I do and/or do what I love. I will not worry if what I am doing today isn't the perfect job for me.

"Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" -Matt 6.27

"Therefor do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matt 6.34