ORDERING YOUR PRIVATE WORLD

Do you get strung out with the amazing pace of your life? I feel it every day. I talk to business leaders who consistently express their anxieties and frustrations with their often-chaotic lifestyle.

Our work is demanding and full of pressures. We strive to be the best husbands or wives we can be. Many of us have children who we deeply desire to spend time with. Some invest time serving others in need, but that often just becomes good intention and added guilt. Church is a priority for many; others fit it in when possible (try having a child involved in competitive sports). And the list goes on.

Do you need help?

A few years ago, our friend Mark Saviers shared a powerful message at a WorkMatters event entitled, “What Will Your Legacy Be”. I highly recommend listening to it. His message took us back to the basics:

1 + 1 = 2 … it is a simple, predictable equation.

If we wake up, work out (or not), eat a quick breakfast, and run out the door … we will have a fairly predictable outcome.

What if we added one element to that equation … a few minutes of time alone with our Father … again, I believe we will have a fairly predictable outcome.

One approach will yield a day spent grinding. The other a day spent grounded.

I need more 1 + 1 = 2 in my life. I need to be grounded so that I have a fighting chance to reflect Christ in my life, especially at work.

Do you?

If so, let me recommend a timeless resource to you. Gordon McDonald’s Ordering Your Private World is a powerful read to help you see if some quiet time spent each day reading, praying and listening will help you find more 1 + 1 = 2.

Think and Pray
With a busy schedule, making time for a morning devotional and prayer time doesn’t seem workable. But if God can redeem the brokenness of your life to make you righteous, can’t He also be trusted to redeem the time you spend with Him to make your day more fruitful?

Lord, I confess that I allow my calendar to manage my priorities. Help me to turn that around. Starting with tomorrow, help me to make time with You my number one thing in the morning, and let that calibrate my spirit for whatever else You bring me in my day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

David Roth has been the president and CEO of Workmatters, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people pursue God’s purpose for their work. Prior to leading Workmatters, Mr. Roth was vice president, sales and marketing for J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. and the senior vice president of marketing for Manugistics before that. He resides in Fayetteville, Ark. with his wife, Theresa and has two sons, Dylan and Tyler.