“Don’t confuse the urgent with what is important.” I have to constantly remind myself of this principle. More often than I’d like to admit, I find myself wasting time on things that not only steal my time but also steal my joy.
I don’t like getting to the end of my day only to realize I’ve allowed myself to get hijacked once again by what seemed important at the time but, upon further reflection, wasn’t really important at all. It felt urgent, but it ended up being like cotton candy—it appeared much bigger than it actually was. It was sweet at the time but didn’t satisfy, providing only empty calories.
I’m the type of person who enjoys the satisfaction of checking things off my checklist. But not all checked boxes are worth their weight in gold. It takes discipline to wrestle my squirrel-like brain into submission and focus on what’s important, not just what’s urgent.
I’m working on it. Thankfully, I have a good example to look to for guidance on how to break the power of the urgent. Jesus models this for us in the Gospels: Mark 1:35-37 reads: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: 'Everyone is looking for you!'" Now, if anyone had a reason to get caught up in the urgent, it was Jesus! Here we see that He went to be alone, and it wasn’t long before His friends found Him and started letting Him know what He already knew. People wanted His attention. I mean, wouldn’t you? Need healing? Jesus can heal you.
Need food? Jesus can turn a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread into a feast. Need a demon cast out of your child? Jesus can do that too! Jesus was an itinerant teacher and preacher who blew the minds of those who encountered Him. The world has never met another like Him.
He is Jesus, the Savior of the World. Yet, Jesus knew His priorities and did not allow the clamoring needs of the world to stop Him from doing what was most important: spending time with the Father. The most important decision of the day was spending time with the One who is not bound by time.
The One who can violate the natural laws of time because He is the One who designed them. He knows how to transcend them and break into dimensions unknown to us. Mind-blowing! Trusting the God who is able to do that requires deep trust.
Not letting the urgent things pull you in all directions is a skill rooted in a profound understanding of our dependence on God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. You might be thinking, “This is great, but how do I do this in my real life?” I’m glad you asked. Here are some practical steps that I’ve found helpful in my personal life: Hopefully, these tips are helpful.
These are just a few ideas. Remember, the main goal is to break the power of the urgent. Don’t confuse the urgent with what’s important.
Make space for the important..
