Taming the monster of To-Do

Do you ever feel like your To-Do list is some sort of monster that you barely have control of and have to fight hard to appease? It's kind of like holding a tiger by the tail right? I often feel like my life swings back and forth between a schedule that's virtually empty, and one that seems to have every minute time allocated with no room for deviation. It is in these times, the times of crazy busyness,  that my To-Do list seems to establish itself as a supreme leader, ruling over my day with an iron fist. To-Do sits on a throne of power with a very long whip used to keep me running as frantically as I possibly can. To-Do wakes me up early, and keeps me up late, whispering to me of the disastrous consequences should I attempt to slow my pace. To-Do also seems to have a thing against me reading my Bible. So many times, as I have sat down to read the Word, I have felt the cold, hard stare of To-Do as he tries to intimidate me into leaving my Bible on the shelf. The longer I try to read, the icier his glare becomes. 

"You don't have time for this!" He screams. "Make it quick, quick, quick, quick, quick!"

Do you ever feel like this, friend? If so, please take encouragement from a verse that is helping me immensely with this problem. 

"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'"

Malachi 3:10

I know this verse is generally used in reference to encourage us to tithe with our money, but lately God has been showing me that I can trust Him in this promise when it comes to my time as well. If I give Him my time, He'll take care of my schedule. (And He always seems to manage it much better than I can.) For some reason, this is a hard concept for me to grasp. I don't have trouble believing that if I give God my finances, He'll take care of me in that way. Why then, do I struggle to believe that He will do the same when I give Him my time? It is something I am determined to learn, and something I want to keep practicing until I am completely convinced of God's goodness when it comes to my schedule. 

Test me in this... 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking a To-Do list. In general, I find them to be very helpful, docile creatures. But occasionally, I find one that goes a little rogue and tries to mix up my priorities and cause me to forget the promises of my God. In dealing with this sort of pest, I have found that verse in Malachi to be incredibly effective. 

~Jazzy