Backwards Kingdom: Productivity

Out of the many things that I have noticed about my generation, one that sticks out is the fact that we live around a hustle-obsessed culture. My social media feed is constantly filled with young entrepreneurs bragging about how packed their schedule is, and everyone I know is constantly one-upping each other about how little sleep they get and how many energy drinks they chugged to get through the day. Even in my own life, I fall into this trap more times than I can count. I boast about how much I pack my own schedule, have to-do lists that are miles too long, and I make sure that everyone knows just how overworked and busy I am. Like I mentioned in the previous post, the world places their worth in what it is that they have done, and has a habit of ranking importance and value based on what they contribute to the world. We all know that the only thing this leads to is a cycle of weariness and exhaustion, yet we can’t seem to stop.

Often, I find myself completely overwhelmed by my to-do list. Even when the things on my list seem enjoyable and are complete blessings, I find myself rushing through all the items and somehow ending the day with more things to do than before. This ends in a routine of looking at my list every single day, desperate to one day catch up and have a fully completed list, even though I know it’s nearly impossible.

While there is nothing inherently bad about to-do lists, they can easily become a distraction. What was originally created to facilitate organization and communicate healthy goals has turned into a works-based process that mirrors the priorities of our culture. The piece that I really want to focus on today, though, is the idea that life is more than lists. We are so busy getting as many items checked off as possible that we lose sight of what is really important. When it comes to living in a backwards kingdom, we are called to be set apart from what the world does, which means we need to rethink the purpose behind our process. So, this post is going to be all about replacing our focus and remembering the “why” behind the “what” that we do.

What’s not important

Looking at my own to-do list that I’ve been consistently adding to since coming back from summer camp, I am realizing that most of these things aren’t inherently important. After all, putting on a fresh coat of nail polish or making a list of what I need to buy for my dorm this school year aren’t going to change my life. Even more important things, like texting a friend or looking at my younger sister’s volleyball schedule don’t seem to hold much weight in the grand scheme of my life. However, we can easily make those things the priority of our day, and get through them as quickly as possible. I find myself trying to group up tasks and handle multiple of them at once, in the attempt to maximize my productivity and get as many things done as I possibly can, but when I shift my lens to a kingdom perspective, I realize that this makes things even worse. When your focus is simply getting through as many things as you can, the intentionality is gone, and you become like the world: doing things for the sake of doing things.

What really matters

Taking a deeper look at my to-do list, I realized what truly matters. I’m not just texting a friend to ask how they’re doing, I’m making sure the people in my life feel seen and understood. I’m not just buying bracelet string, I’m encouraging intentional moments with my campers throughout the summer. It’s not just planning out future blog posts, but instead disciplining myself to take charge of things that I’m passionate about. You see, these things are beautiful, and are filled with so much love, but the way that we go about it changes everything.

You see, here’s what really matters. Life is more than scheduling events and picking up items from the store. We as Christians are called to live a life honoring God, which means loving others relentlessly, serving every moment we get, and pointing back to our Creator for His glory. Our lives should be spent preserving our testimony so that when people see us, they see the light of Christ. Testifying of the freedom and hope that Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection brings should be at the core of everything we do, even if those things are mundane in and of themselves.

If we take time to do these things, and really give it the intentionality it deserves, then you are creating moments to love others and be a light in a dark place. However, we know that even good intentions with bad execution are dangerous. Even if you’re reading your Bible, and spending one-on-one time with the Father, doing it to simply cross it off your list eliminates the relationship and only furthers a works-based religion.

The reason this is so important is that just because you are doing things that look pure, intentional, and selfless, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are bringing glory to God. In fact, if you are rushing through life and all the beautiful things in it in the name of rushing and productivity, you are undervaluing what it means to sit with the Creator of the Universe and talk to Him. Even if you spend hours in a day in His Word, but you do it with the wrong heart posture, all that will come out of it are rules and statues, and our God is more than that.

Truly, I believe that the root of this issue isn’t simply being less productive; it is looking at what we measure productivity by, and recognizing what that stems from. We as a backwards kingdom should not value productivity and worth based on the number of the good works that we do. Instead, we should be focusing on the value of what we have accomplished. Even if you only did one thing that day, you should be confident in the fact that you did it to bring glory to God through your heart, your effort, and your attitude towards it. Living a hustle-obsessed life stops us from slowing down to remember why we do what we do, and forces us to look past what really matters. In addition, it forces us to focus on what hasn’t been done yet, and guilts us for how much more we could have done if we just tried harder. Instead, we are called to live a life free from guilt, and rest in the Father’s arms instead.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.“ (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus promises to carry us and take our burdens for us. The life that He has intended for us isn’t filled with packed schedules or downing cans of energy drinks. No, not at all. The life that Jesus intended for us is less about what we do, and how we love. When every move we make, and every thing we do, is done in a way where we see how we can show Christ through it, we find rest in knowing that we’ve found what really matters.

—

“Help me see the world through Your eyes

'Til what breaks Your heart is breaking mine

Slow me down, this world is moving faster

But I don't wanna miss the things that matter”

• Things That Matter, Josiah Queen