Cherish the Sound of the Busy Tone

I remember sitting in the hallway of the old dairy home with a long phone cord so my mom wouldn't hear me on the other end. Continuing to dial and redial a friend to chat about the latest, only to hear..."beep.beep.beep." on the other end. I was persistent and wanted to talk to her. But she had no idea that while her mom was chatting it up with a relative on the other end, I was desperately trying to reach her. Back in the day, things were different. Back in the day, we waited patiently and the burden of what we wanted was our own. We decided when we called, contacted or made a visit. No one knew we were coming or trying to call, so we had to decide what was important. We made conscious decisions about our time and energy with others. The burden was on us. 

Today, the priority and burden has shifted. Today, we get a message and boom! the ball is now in their court. Our day starts with checking messages-emails, texts, social media-whatever it is that drives your personal and professional life. And the funny thing is, we expect a response....NOW! We are now driven by others rather than our own efforts to make contact. At work, often an email will come through at 9 am while I am teaching class. An email I don't see and then I get a phone call a few minutes after it was sent asking if I saw it. 

In the past year, I have learned a lot about boundaries. Boundaries can save us from a relationship, save us from a job, or save us from a past hurt. They also can protect from being conformed to the standards of a selfish world. People will demand things from you all day long but you have to decide which of those things are most important. Often, we have a need to please others and nurture those around us. We put others before us, leading us to unhealthy habits of not taking care of our health and well-being. We skip a workout, grab a fast bite in between a client, or come home too exhausted to do something we love. We worry about things that are out of their control and eventually, we have lost focus of what is most important. God loves us all and wants us to be our best but we cannot do that when we let text messages, emails and social media demand our attention and expectations. 

Every morning I get up early enough to read and pray before the day. If I am lucky, I may squeeze in a run before getting ready for work. During that time, I do not check email, or messages. My focus is on what God has for me for the day and the wisdom I can gain by being in His presence. I want to live my life with purpose and commitment to what's really important and not be driven by the demands of others. Let's face it, if you are like me, your to-do list is probably too long to ever complete and some of the things on it may not be completely necessary, so we have to find the things that matter most and do those first. 

If this means relinquishing control of a responsibility, do it.
If this means, saying no to an invitation, do it. 
If this means you get up a little earlier or stay up a little later, do it.
If this means you set a timer for the thing you don't want to do, do it. 
If this means you need to make an appointment to meet a friend, do it.
If this means you skip a meeting to take the dog for a walk, do it.

Everything will be there when you get back. Most things are not urgent, so be mindful of what is most important in your walk with God. Do what matters most.

Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)
inspired by "Who's Setting Your Priorites," Glynnis Whitwer