Another angle of productivity
Which is a sign of greater productivity? Doing a lot? Or being present and available?Early in this COVID quarantine, my wife shared with our neighbor about how the distance learning situation made it hard to feel as “productive.” Understandable in these unique times, right? Stay-at-home and working parents alike are navigating a new normal that demands substantial time investments that otherwise may have been made elsewhere.When not able to do what we think we need to do, we can feel less productive. Thankfully, our neighbor helped remind us of another important angle to productivity. Upon hearing that we felt less productive, she simply asked, “How are you defining your productivity?” She went on to remind us that “every minute you are available to your kids is productive.” It’s a simple concept but also likely an expansion in perspective that may require significant accountability and frequent resets. My wife was encouraged that day to lean into the current circumstances and focus on her availability to the kids as a key driver for her daily actions. When looking back someday, what truly mattered won’t be how clean the house was, what projects were accomplished, or how successful the family was by other metrics, but rather how we loved God and others.
AVAILABILITY OVER ACCOMPLISHMENT
Productivity
The same is true in being productive in God’s kingdom (Kingdomtivity)! Am I truly being my most productive self when I lead 4 Bible studies, organize 3 events, and try to pray for 50 people, all while concurrently doing x, y, and z!? Especially if I pass out from exhaustion each evening? Or, might I be my most productive (and meaningful / best) self when I shift my mindset so that every minute I am intentionally available for God’s kingdom work? Obedience to engage in a single right conversation might lead to much more substantial kingdom growth than leading an additional Bible study. God helps us see when quality is more important than quantity – and it often is.Declaring our availability to God includes the surrender of our own plans (Prov 19:21) and the dedicated effort to discern and align with the Lord’s ways – His priorities, His Kingdom, His economy. “Here I am, send me” (Is. 6:8) is to be our response to God’s invitation, not our own or that of any another. It does not mean volunteering for everything. It is not cramming in as much as possible. It’s an act of seeking to honor God above all else, trusting Him for the best productivity of all.
SOME OF THE BONUSES
One of the most beautiful things about starting the pursuit of kingdomtivity with devoted availability to God is that He often wants to use us right where we already are. This act of grace helps us not miss valuable moments at home, at work, or in other spheres of influence. When we’re available to God (constantly walking with Him, called “praying continuously” in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), He often kindly reminds us to concurrently be present where we are – i.e., to be available to those we ALREADY have in our lives, whether it’s through a new season of remote learning with kids, a work project that’s facilitated an opportunity to deepen your relational investment in a coworker, or anything else.Yet if you’re like me, it’s still hard. While we all agree simply “doing” a lot doesn’t guarantee good fruit, what about actually “accomplishing” a lot, especially valuable things with trackable fruit? Being available to God releases us from that pressure to produce to anyone else’s standards but His. This results in a rich and deep peace! Sometimes it’ll actually entail a lot of tangible outward accomplishments, but other times it’ll look more like rest, casual quality time, or something else. Honoring a commitment to be available to God and the places or purposes He’s given you is much more rewarding than honoring any long laundry list you or I can come up with on our own.
WHAT'S THE TRICK?
How do you make yourself available to God, pre-committing to what He has for you this day and every other? A genuine heart and some simple disciplines can go a long way. In addition to “praying over my to-do list,” I have started making sure my prayers include an affirmation of my choice of availability, even if I don’t “feel” like it. I know I want to be, and I ask God to align my heart. I also practice the pursuit of divine efficiency – taking my to-do lists captive to help bring my mentality, motivations, expectations, and approach to God! My church is also in the middle of a great sermon series about being “Kingdom-ready disciples,” and so much of readiness is directly linked to availability!And Good News – our God is ALWAYS available to us to help! Not only that, He always perfectly loves us, even when we’re not returning His love. He always knows what’s best and always has our best interest in mind. He is flawlessly faithful. He is peace, power, and presence in all of our efforts to produce. He’ll invite us into whatever is next and whatever is right. Be available!“We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19