Several years ago, when Nanci and I answered questions at the young moms’ gathering at our home church, one of the moms asked, “How do busy people set aside time to rest, reflect, and recharge?” Here are some thoughts about the importance of setting priorities, and saying no even to good things in order to do what’s most important:

In the video, I mentioned my article I wrote years ago: Planned Neglect: Saying No to Good Things So We Can Say Yes to the Best. I said then, and I still believe it to be true: We need to neglect doing the things that countless people want us to do, so that we will be available to do what God wants. Instead of exhausting ourselves doing many secondary things, may we do a few primary things well. And that begins with our daily time with God.

I later wrote a related but not redundant blog: A Lesson Hard Learned: Being Content with Saying No to Truly Good Opportunities. I also wrote on Does It Matter How We Spend Our Free Time? And here’s a short article on understanding the difference between the urgent and the important.  

Finally, years ago I wrote about Mary and Martha in an article: Can’t You See That I’m Busy?

Jesus says to Martha in Luke 10: “Few things are necessary, really only one. Mary has chosen the better portion and it will not be taken from her.” May that be true of us too.

Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash