This is Part 2 of a 2-part series. Click here to read Part 1.
I wrote last week about how the modern age is busy, hectic, and overly focused on productivity. We saw in the story of Martha and Mary that we are called to live for One Necessary Thing.
Our one necessary thing is to give Jesus our full attention; to live a life devoted to knowing and following Christ as Lord.
So, how are we going to swim against the current of busyness and distraction and live as Jesus has called us? Consider some practical advice in these five areas:
- Be purposeful and prioritize your commitments.
We need to be purposeful. Aside from the discovery of penicillin, almost nothing worthwhile happens by accident. We need to be proactive; we need a plan. Some things in life are more important than others. Don’t be ruled by what’s been called the “tyranny of the urgent.” Certain things that feel urgent are not actually important. Prioritize your responsibilities and commitments. Evaluate and sort all your commitments according to the 5 Ds: What should you Do, Diminish, Delay, Delegate, or Delete?
- Slow down and create margin.
Without lines and space on a page, your eyes and your mind would quickly get overwhelmed. The same is true for your heart. For many of us, our days feel rushed because we have no margin, no space between activities. And so, if one thing goes wrong – it causes a chain reaction in our day – leading to a frazzled, rushed, distracted, anxious day. So, schedule time between meetings. Leave the house early. Be content to get less done in the day. Live with a “it will be here tomorrow” mentality. Intentionally slow down, create space in your life.
- Take time to rest and sleep.
We can’t make time, but we can take time for what is important. God has given you all the time you need (24 hours every day!) to do all that he needs you to do – and that includes sleep and rest. In Zeal without Burnout, Christopher Ash offers us the following pledge,
“I am – and will never, this side of the resurrection, be more than – a creature of dust. I will rest content in my creaturely weakness. I will use the means God has given me to keep going in this life while I can. I will allow myself time to sleep. I will trust him enough to take a day off each week.”
We need to slow down, take time off, and rest. In fact, rest is so important, God put it in his Top Ten list! He calls his people to take one 24-hour day of Sabbath rest each week. He created our body to need sleep each night. And I recommend at least 1 hour of downtime each day. Some people think they can’t afford to take time off and rest; but, unless you are a secret government agent working on a taskforce to stop imminent terrorist plots, you are not that important! And the beauty is that when you prioritize sleep and rest, you’ll actually be more productive the rest of the time! Studies show that our productivity peaks at about 55 hours a week.
Taking time off resting requires trusting God. God is always working – so that means you can go to sleep! Work hard, fulfill your responsibilities for the day, then go to bed. Psalm 127:2 says, “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
- Eliminate distractions and facilitate quiet.
In Redeeming your Time, Jordan Raynor calls us to “dissent from the kingdom of noise.” He says, “to redeem our time in the model of our Redeemer, we must fight to block out noise and create room for silence, stillness, and reflection.” We live in a time of an unprecedented amount of noise – nonstop information, news, entertainment, and the buzzing of devices in our pocket. All this noise crowds our hearts and minds and prevents us from having any meaningful time of silence and solitude; it inhibits our ability to think deeply, be creative, daydream, find peace, pray, listen to God’s voice. As Psalm 46 says, “be still and know that I am God.” (See here for more on Raynor’s book.)
Give yourself time and space to think, daydream, let your mind wander, pray, and hear from God. Ride in the car without listening to a podcast. Take walks without music on. Give your mind space to wander and then guide it toward Christ.
The first and simplest step toward doing this is to put your phone away! This is not just for teenagers, most adults are just as bad! Statistics say that 75% of people have their phone next to them when they sleep, and 90% check their phone first thing when they wake up. Do you really want the first thing that gets your attention in the morning and the last thing that gets your attention at night to be your phone? As Christians, we want our schedule and habits to reflect our values, the one necessary thing of giving our attention to Christ.
Don’t charge your phone in your bedroom – why should the news, emails, or stupid YouTube shorts be what gets your first and last attention? Check the weather the night before and buy a $10 alarm clock – it will work just fine. I typically put my phone away 1.5-2 hours before bed and don’t pick it up until 1.5-2 hours after I wake up. I challenge you to try this for a week.
All the experts – pastors, theologians, social scientists, mental health professionals, doctors, Silicon Valley executives – are all saying the same thing. Put down your phone, eliminate distraction, and facilitate quiet.
- Designate time to sit at Jesus’ feet.
This was the good portion that Mary chose in Luke 10. Jesus commended her and said her humble devotion would not be taken away from her. Jesus himself did this. We read in the Gospels that Jesus often got up early and went off by himself for solitude with his Heavenly Father. Jesus, after a hectic, crowded, busy day of ministry, we read this, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mk. 1:35).
There are two non-negotiables to building any relationship – time and attention. Sitting at Jesus’ feet means giving him both. I suggest setting aside time each morning and each night to give your attention to the Lord in silence and solitude. If this is new to you, or you are out of the habit, start with 15 minutes. Take time for prayer, meditation, worship, Scripture. Don’t let the pressure of a reading plan become a distraction in itself. There are no points for reading the most! Don’t rush. Read deeply, read to receive. How is God speaking to you? Try to go deep, not wide. If you have little kids, you’ll have to work together with your spouse to make this happen, but it can happen. And remember, the whole point is to focus on giving your attention to Jesus, so you can live the rest of your day with him in the center of your heart.
The key to not living life anxious, bothered, and distracted by myriad things is to keep the One Necessary Thing in the center.
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