A lot of people shy away from productivity tools and principles.
Time management seems to come from a world of materialism and greed. Productivity, to many, is all about achieving as much as we possibly can to gratify our selfish egos.
Many people want to live far away from productivity tools. They don’t want schedules and calendars and task lists – they want a life of freedom and of being in-tune with the Spirit.
But we need to understand that God can, and does, work through productivity tools. And they may just be the answer to our prayers.
Through Agents
How does God work, after all?
It’s not hard to see that God works in a multitude of ways. Sometimes, we see his direct intervention such as in the creation of the world or fashioning the first tablets of the ten commandments.
But more often, we see God working through agents.
For instance, God brought about plagues on the Egyptians by acting through swarms of locusts and frogs. He disciplined the Israelite nation through the conquests of the Babylonians. He provided for his people through the presence of bountiful crops.
Even today, he cares for the widows and the poor through charitable giving on the part of his saints. God spreads the gospel abroad through his followers who carry out the Great Commission.
God heals the sick through the understanding of doctors and modern medicine. He teaches and edifies through the use of printing presses and the internet.
God works through all manner of objects, ideas, and people.
The Answer to Your Prayers
So it shouldn’t be surprising if God works through productivity systems.
Have you ever cried out in prayer because you were up to your eyeballs in stress and responsibilities? Have you earnestly prayed that God would help you to have a daily devotional time or to spend more time with family or to find time for exercise?
God’s answer to your prayer may not come in supernatural discipline. It may not come in the form of godly counsel. Your answer may not come in drastic reductions to your life’s burdens.
It could be that God’s answers to your prayers are to place before you the tools you need to organize your life and your time.
God may choose to work through mundane tools like schedules and calendars and task lists. So don’t be afraid of them.
They could be what you’ve been praying for all along.
Photo Credit: Justin Rumao
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