False Urgency and My New Mantra

"Do the best you can today with what you have, and let that be enough." 

This is my mantra for the last several days. 

I realize there will be times when we must hunker down and get things done. We prioritize to the best of our abilities. And some of us need more discipline, not less.

But many of us need more grace. 

Last night I sat in the hot tub with a dear friend whose marriage is on the brink of collapse. 

I didn't answer emails. 
I didn't clean up after the kids.
I didn't fill out the paperwork.
I didn't blog.
I didn't answer that question.

I sat.  I sat with my friend and talked about things wayyyy more important.

About her children.
About her heart.
About God in the midst of heartbreak.
About courage when you have nothing left.

The result of sitting with my friend is that I didn't do all I should've, could've, must've done.

I have no regrets.  It was the very best way to spend my night.

Today the list is still there.  Tomorrow the list will still be there.  It doesn't matter the day, or the month, the list will always be there.  Always.      

Where in the Bible does it say we'll get it all done?

Nowhere.

We carry our iPhones and calendars, and even while we sit, in church, or in the grocery store checkout line, or in meetings, or in conferences, our minds are racing, thinking of the dang to-do list.  The emails we haven't answered.  The deadline.  The people pounding on the door.  The contract we haven't signed because we haven't yet read it. The school shopping we have yet to do. 

Almost all of it is false urgency. 

Sometimes the most urgent thing to do is to sit. 

To be with a friend.
To cry. 
To soak in suffering. 
To pray for healing. 
To hope for restoration.