I’ve mentioned before that I am a list maker. I love lists. Lists are the epitome of organization and good intentions, they celebrate progress, they are kind taskmasters. I like checking things off lists, it makes me feel powerful and helps me know that I’ve accomplished something. Normally I have at least five lists going at any one time:
- prayer list (which includes things I’m especially thankful for and things I’m worried about)
- grocery list (which includes sub-lists for other stores I usually stop at on grocery day)
- to do list for the week
- possible blog ideas
- books I want to read
If I get serious about making a list of my lists, then I need to add my books I want to write list, my ‘bills to pay each month list’, the yearly goals Karl and I write at the beginning of each year, the list I keep of books of the Bible I’ve studied recently, the birthdays list, Christmas list, a bucket list, exercises I intend to do daily (but rarely actually do!), and probably a dozen more.
A few weeks ago, in the middle of a sermon, Pastor Marthious gave me a challenge for a new list. His suggestion wasn’t a main point of his sermon, just a passing comment, but it stuck. He recommended we should have “To Be” lists. I’ve been pondering this since he said it. Hmmm. I know the changes I want to see in myself, the thoughts and actions I have and do but that I don’t like. With that in mind, my very first “To Be” list includes: be confident in God (and leave worrying behind), be thankful and content, be loving. I haven’t checked them off yet, and the sad thing is, I might not ever achieve them to the point of feeling like I can honestly cross them off with a definitive Done! Yet, since I wrote that list, I feel a difference. My love and commitment to lists and checking things off spurs me into trying harder to address the items on my To Be list, and it reminds me of who I want to become. It has also made me start thinking about what God says should appear on my list. Maybe the top item on my New Year’s Resolution list will be a Bible study to find the answer to that!
