{"id":5703,"date":"2021-03-27T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=5703"},"modified":"2021-03-01T20:33:45","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T02:33:45","slug":"what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=5703","title":{"rendered":"What “To-Do”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Think on These Things: Positive thoughts in a negative world\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If I\u2019m totally honest, I love my \u201cto-do\u201d lists. If it weren\u2019t for them and Post-it-Notes, I\u2019m not sure I would remember anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although my \u201cto-do\u201d lists are not quite as organized as the ones you read about, I still manage to get things done. Almost all time management gurus say that when you cross something off your list you should celebrate its completion. This is what I do best. I enjoy this so much that if I do something that\u2019s not on my list, I add it, just so I can mark it off and celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo-do\u201d lists are great, but they are just tools to help us remember what needs to be done. Generally, they list things we have to do as opposed to what we want to do. There are many important things that don\u2019t even make the list, like telling a spouse or your child \u201cI love you.\u201d Let\u2019s face it, if you have to put that on a \u201cto-do\u201d list, you don\u2019t really know the meaning of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some have spiritual \u201cto-do\u201d lists. These might include prayer, Bible study, meditation, and so forth. I must admit I used to subscribe to this method of staying on the straight and narrow. I\u2019d even make a little prayer list, which began to sound more like a \u201cto-do\u201d list for what I wanted God to do for me. I was focused more on what God could do for me rather than building a relationship with Him. Although, I do find a Post-it Note with names of people who need my prayers helpful, lest I forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we come to know God we realize His unconditional love for us. After all, while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). We know God as a loving, caring, Father who never abandons, rejects, or hurts us. We realize that prayer is meant to align our will with God\u2019s rather than talking Him into giving us what we want. His will be done, not ours. When we focus on God and align our will to His, our cares and concerns seem to work out\u2014not always the way we would have wanted, but they work out just the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is nothing wrong with a Christian \u201cto-do\u201d list, I no longer prefer to be quite so regimented in my spiritual life. Approaching my relationship with God as something I have to do takes away my joy. It should be something I want to do. I love the idea of praying without ceasing, rejoicing always, and giving thanks for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). What a privilege it is to be able to stay in constant communication with the One who gives me the very air I breathe and praise Him for providing it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that closing thought, I will write \u201cfinish this week\u2019s blog\u201d on my \u201cto-do\u201d list so I can check it off. Thank you, Jesus! Now I can celebrate!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*****<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/em>Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.\u201d ~Philippians 4:8 (KJV)<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Think on These Things: Positive thoughts in a negative world\u2026 If I\u2019m totally honest, I love my \u201cto-do\u201d lists. If it weren\u2019t for them and Post-it-Notes, I\u2019m not sure I would remember anything. Although my \u201cto-do\u201d lists are not quite … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}