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The Seduction to Do More!
by Cheryl R. Carter

This week I violated the most essential principle of time management. I fell prey to the seduction to do more. Many of us fall into this trap because so many of us are already operating on residual energy and a long to-do list even if it is only in our heads. The lure to do more is so enticing. Like most good traps, it was hard to escape after I was caught in it. The only way out was to remind myself of my early days as a Christian.

Not long after I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Personal Savior, I had an incessant fear that when I died and went to heaven and saw Jesus, that we both would introduce ourselves to one another. Of course, I knew He would know me and I, Him in some kind of divine way. Essentially, though we would both be seeing one another for the first time because we would not have had an intimate relationship. Understand this: I never doubted my salvation, because I could point to chapter and verse that I had indeed accepted Him. I, however, had very little peace. I just saw Jesus as a ticket to heaven, or rather the avoidance of hell.

I never saw Jesus as a person who I could relate to in any tangible way. I recall feeling empty. As a pre-teen I also felt the adults around me who claimed to know Jesus were superficial because few lived what they claimed to believe. They seemed to serve God out of duty rather than passion. I was quite discouraged! In desperation I cried out to the Lord to be real to me. I cannot say one cataclysmic event occurred. Rather it was a gentle wooing. He drew me to Himself. As I began to include time for Him everyday, my peace increased, because God will keep you in perfect peace if your mind, your thoughts, and meditations stay on Him. I soon discovered Jesus was a real person who I could relate to before I got to heaven. He was my Friend right here on earth. He wanted to talk to me.

God yearned to commune with me just as I longed to know Him. He has not changed. Even today, He is still calling you to put your busy schedule aside and make time for Him. Relationships take time to build. A relationship with God is no exception! Prayer, communication with Him, should precede all personal planning and scheduling. Listening to the Lord also requires stillness. Make time to be still. This part does not come naturally to us. And please do not fall prey to the seduction to do more because it is deceptive. It lets you think you can do it all. You simply cannot. It is the busyness, the desire to do more that actually gets us away from God.

The twentieth century church may go down in history as the do-more church. Unfortunately, the church’s ills are mirrored in society. We are all in fast-forward mode with little time to develop significant relationships with others. Even, our churches calculate their effectiveness by the number of people at the altar who repeat a specified prayer. Few ministries offer any significant follow-up or genuine concern about new converts. Perhaps this is why so few stay with the Lord. If we can ever get past numbers and into a day by day walk with God we could see transformation in our families, churches, communities and the world! Yes, we can impact the world just by being dutiful to our calling to educate our children for the kingdom! We need to have an eternal gaze even in our everyday activities

The seduction to do-more has risen to new heights in the church. Working parents have little time for their children. Exhausted ministers give a good message instead of an anointed Word. Marriages hang on a thread, and our healing lines are filled with stress-related illnesses. Yet we ignore all these signs and continue our press to do more. The information age has convinced us that if we stop doing, then we are Neanderthals. So we keep pressing in for more- more money, more prestige, and more position. We just keep going. There is a rush, an adrenaline high, when we keep pressing for more, but it will fade. Sometimes I find myself just pressing to teach one more course, get that new curriculum that is going to transform my home school, take one more co-op class instead of stopping and listening to God for direction. All of us are seduced into trying more, doing more and spending more. When it is all over, we are left with emptiness.

Emptiness is painful and devours at our self-worth. Once our self-worth is destroyed the essence of our being is harmed. Some try to do more get rid of the emptiness. This does not work, depression sets in. Notice during the busy seasons people are prone to an adrenaline rush with all the speeding around. Depression is therefore common. As Christians we should slow down, and be aware of the others around us who are suffering.

We cannot help others until we are out of the clutches of the seduction to do more. Naturally, we must first slow down, and listen to what God is saying to us. Our worth must not be tied to how much we can do; rather it should be based on who we are. Once this truth is established in our hearts then the Holy Spirit can direct us in scheduling and activities. Only then can we be successful.

God wants us to achieve and to be prosperous. He does this not by driving us to do more but by loving us. He works with us -taking our weaknesses and making them into His strengths. He gently guides us making our days profitable and productive. Because God does not require us to do more, He only requires us to be more!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl R. Carter generally writes on time management, parenting and family issues. She believes one of the biggest threats to the sanctity of the family is sexual sin. She is willing to step out of her comfort zone to address this issue. Read her other commentary under her e-newsletter--Momtime at www.momtime.net