How should a follower of Christ aim to structure their daily agenda?

So, last Saturday was my first official day of maternity leave from teaching. It was surreal to wake up that morning knowing that this new chapter of my life had finally arrived.

Any day now, Harold and I will be welcoming our sweet little girl into this world! Meeting our precious daughter for the first time will truly be a gift from God--the reality of which fills my heart with an indescribable measure of joy!

At the same time, I also believe that these final few days of "freedom" are a gift from God as well. These remaining baby-less days serve as a time for me to continue preparing myself spiritually, physically, and emotionally for the unfamiliar, God-dependent challenges that lie ahead. 

My first day off from work proved to be a true gift from the Lord. It was a sweet morning of physical rest (sleeping in) and physical nourishment (chocolate chip pancakes!!). Not to mention, this particular day was the ultimate display of physical beauty outside--with plenty of sunshine and blue skies to encourage and delight my heart. And apart from being a gift of physical provision, this day also served as a gift of spiritual encouragement to my soul. 

As I finished my breakfast, I began to consider what my first day off of work would look like. What things would I do to occupy all my new found free time? I thought about something my pastor's wife has shared with the ladies of our church on more than one occasion: that she views herself first and foremost as a worshiper and servant of God. Subsequently, she is a wife to her husband, then a mother to her children, then a servant to others--all in that order.

As I pondered her words, I felt prompted to think about how I could intentionally structure and prioritize my day in such a way that would, first and foremost, be pleasing to Christ. So, Avery and I plopped down in the nursery to spend some time reading His word. I parked at a verse in Mark 9, with the subtitle 'Who is the Greatest?'. In this passage, Jesus is addressing his disciples, who had recently been quarreling about which of them was the greatest. The passage reads like this:

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35)

That final sentence really challenged the posture of my heart. If I want to achieve greatness in the eyes of God, I thought, then I must be last of all and servant of all. So what exactly should that look like for me--in the context of this day specifically?  

Almost suddenly, my mind began to generate this series of questions:

1. What things can I do today to serve and love God first? 

2. What things can I do today to serve and love my family next?

3. Then, what things can I do today to serve and love others?
4. Lastly, what things can I do today to serve myself?

By intentionally sifting through this sequence of introspective questions, I realized that I could--as well as deeply desired to--train myself to put God first, family and others second, and myself last. And a wave of joy washed over me to think that Jesus would view such a sacrifice of self as an act of true, God-honoring greatness.

So, for the rest of my day, I sought to follow this order of service and love. I had already started my morning serving and loving God first by spending time with Him and treasuring up His words in my heart before tending to any other task.

Next, I thought about the things I could accomplish around our house that would serve my sweet husband and our daughter. I spent time cleaning and organizing various rooms in an effort to make our home a fresh and inviting place for Harold to come home to that day (and for Avery to come home to in the days to come!).

Finally, I devoted the rest of my afternoon to serving others while serving myself (two birds, one stone kind of thing).  On this day--serving others meant bringing a word of truth and encouragement to the Saints in Christ through this blog post. And, simultaneously on this day, serving myself meant enjoying a half-off Frappuccino at Starbucks while blogging (both of which are joys for me)!

Examining and living out our service to God, to our families, to others, and to ourselves will not look the same every day. It could be very specific and tangible on some days, or very small and subtle on other days. But on any day and in any circumstance, if our hearts and minds have been joyfully trained and prepared to put ourselves last, then our service will be great.

So, Saints in Christ, my prayer for you is that you would be encouraged to cultivate a true and practical understanding of greatness in accordance with the definition that Christ Himself has ascribed to it. To be great is to be last of all and servant of all.

Let's aim to realign our hearts and minds to Mark 9:35 so that we can live out this definition of authentic greatness--with minds set above.

What is the one thing necessary for a follower of Christ to do in the midst of many "to-dos"?

So, this past Monday was early release day at school. The students are dismissed an hour earlier on Mondays than they are on Tuesday through Friday. I, among many teachers, have come to revere this extra hour of personal planning time. Typically, this extra hour is eaten up by meetings or trainings. However, on those rare occasions when it's not, it's pure gold!

How shall I describe it for my all my non-teacher friends? It's like waking up earlier than your alarm, only to realize you have an extra hour to sleep! It's like discovering an extra chicken nugget in your Chick-fil-A 8-count meal! It's an unexpected little jewel that can lift a teacher's spirits--because it provides us with the chance to get our heads above the water once again--and in this case, the "water" I'm referring to would be paperwork, cleaning, organizing, planning, communicating, emailing, and so on and so forth.

All that to say--I'm a huge fan of Mondays! And so, with a fire beneath my feet and a gust of wind in my sails, I set out to make the absolute most of this particular Monday.

I kicked off the hour by cleaning up the debris (aka materials) from that day's lessons--which had been scattered like shards across desks, tables and floor surfaces. Then, it was time to organize and file what seemed like a million assessment papers.  I use these to track student progress and understanding during every lesson (roughly 5 lessons a day, multiplied by 5 days of procrastination, give or take...it's a lot of papers to sift through!).

Following that trite and tedious endeavor, I set out to prep a "center activity folder" for each student, filled with two weeks worth of center-time activities. This meant taking a field trip to the copy machine (During which time I realized I was eating for two!! So, naturally, I had to carve out a few minutes for a snack break!). Then I darted back to my classroom to sort, stack and staple the copies together. Up next on my agenda was to plan out my lessons for the following day...

And beyond that, the list just continued--that nagging, all-too familiar, all-too demanding, never ending, no good "to-do" list. You know the one.

Like a pinball, I spent the remainder of my afternoon bouncing wildly from one task to another, only to be greeted at home by a load of neglected laundry, a sink of needy dishes, and a dinner that refused to cook itself!

The reality of it is, that in each facet of my life, I am confronted by an ever-growing stockpile of obligations. And, admittedly, my spiritual obligations tend to get buried and lost somewhere near the bottom.

This realization has led me to a place of raw confession. Over the past month or so, I have been consistently and knowingly forsaking the one thing that is necessary for me to do, in the midst of all my other "to-dos".

And what is the one thing necessary for me to do, as well as for every other follower of Christ to do? What is more necessary than any professional duty, any home keeping responsibility, and any social commitment?

Jesus himself has an answer for this essential question. The answer is nestled ever-so profitably within the story of Martha and Mary:


Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.  And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving.  And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”  But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”


I can definitely relate to Martha in this scene. She's so consumed by her "to-do" list that she is unable to consider her guest list.  It is Jesus himself in her midst! Her creator! Her ever-present help and everlasting hope. And He's stirring her hear to remember that He as the one thing necessary for her! How could Martha not position herself expectantly and enthusiastically at the Lord's feet like her sister, Mary, had?

And if Jesus is the one thing necessary for me--for all of us--then how could I not do the same?

As I read this story on Monday evening, my eyes literally began to well up with tears. They weren't tears of remorse--rather, I was moved to tears by how perfectly and delicately the Lord had used this story to help realign my own distracted heart. Hannah, Hannah, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. 

One thing is necessary. 

It is now Saturday. This phrase has been replaying in my mind all week long and I can honestly say that it has blessed me in such an unexpected way.

It's blessed me as I've raced the clock to prepare for the next lesson I'd be teaching: Yes, Hannah, this needs to get done, but remember, only one thing is necessary.

It's blessed me as I've rushed to compile various forms and files for parent/teacher conferences: Yes, Hannah, this needs to get done, but remember, only one thing is necessary.

It's blessed me as I've come home to the Mt. Everest of laundry in my closet: Yes, Hannah, this needs to get done, but remember, only one thing is necessary.

How incredibly freeing!

So much to do, so little time to do it--isn't that the familiar adage? Well, I think Jesus' words in Luke 10 admonish us to adopt a more accurate variation of this rather uninspiring and paralyzing expression. Let's aim to think of it this way instead: So much to do, so little of it worth our worry.

Are you troubled about your "to-do" list at work? Remember, one thing is necessary.
Can't keep up with your "to-do" list at home? Remember, one thing is necessary.
Has your social "to-do" list been propelling you toward permanent introversion? Remember, one thing is necessary.

I'm not suggesting that we completely start to slight all of our obligations--after all, the word of God instructs us to work heartily in whatever we do, as for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23-24). If there are things to be done, by all means, let's make it our aim to get them done! However, let's not make it our habit to get them done at the cost of forsaking the intimate, invaluable time that we all need to spend with Him.

Let us learn to reserve the top of our "to-do" list for the one thing that is necessary--Jesus Christ himself--with minds set above.