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We’re all familiar with To-Do lists. To some they are the thing they need-to-have or they go crazy. Others spend time making the To-Do list and then lose it (or leave it on my couch as a friend once did). Still others don’t make a list at all and wonder why they can’t remember anything. Okay, I guess there are some who don’t make a list and are still able to survive. Did I list all of the possibilities? Oh right, I suppose there are those who make a To-do list that is actually helpful to them without being fixated on it. If that’s you, then I admire you.

I actually fall into every one of those categories at different times, but I’ll spare you the details because it doesn’t really matter.

What matters is our motive and heart with the To-Do list.

Is it a requirement, as in not just helpful but literally a must have? Do you feel anxious even thinking about not making a To-Do list? Do you get frazzled if you lose it or if you have to do something that was not on your list? Do you feel guilty if you do not complete it? Is it your go-to for all your answers, like how much time you have to spare or what you should focus on today? Are you creating a list thinking you are lord of your day, unconcerned that perhaps God may want you to take a different direction?

Personally, creating lists is helpful for my brain because I get the thought out and then can stop thinking about it. But I do sometimes lose the list. And sometimes (when  I don’t lose it), I feel guilty when I do not finish my To-Do lists.

To do lists are not MUST HAVE lists… we need to remember that

This is the good news I need to tell myself more…THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS! (Romans 8:1, ESV). I do not need to feel condemned if I did not complete all my goals for the day. YOU do not need to feel condemned if you did not complete all your goals for the day.

Jesus did not give us a step 1 2 3 To-Do list. He said Follow Me. And what did He do? He learned about the Father, He prayed, and He taught. He did not get caught up in #goals or comparing Himself to others. He wasn’t fixated with checklists and he did not neglect more important things (like relationships) for the sake of getting something done. No, He kept His eyes fixed on doing the will of God and teaching. He didn’t let other things get in the way of doing that.

Can we honestly say we follow His example? Do we stay focused on pleasing the Father or completing our list?

If the list is a must-have, then it is in fact an idol. The list itself can be an idol or the completion of the list can be an idol. Anything that we spend too much of our heart and affection on is an idol…we worship it instead of worshipping our Creator.

Obviously there are some things that really need done on our To-Do list. But are they what is most important? If we don’t complete them, will we allow it to steal our joy?

So what should our priorities be?

Somehow, by His grace, we have to let things go. I don’t mean we stop our commitments, duties, or even creating lists. I just mean many of us need to get back to the basics…the most important item on our checklist should be honoring the Father by loving Him, loving others, and making disciples, just as Jesus did. Everything else is extra…and nothing should be more take priority over loving God…so if we are getting so frazzled about completing something on our checklist that we are willing to be unkind to those around us, we have decided that that duty is more important than loving them.

Thankfully God continues to pour grace upon grace (John 1:16). We all fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23) but by His strength we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). We do NOT have to feel condemned if we do not finish our lists because the biggest calling God has placed on our lives is to love Him and others…not clean the bathroom (or whatever you didn’t get to on your list).

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