Divine Efficiency - Part 2 of 4 (motivations)
Still struggling to complete everything on your To-Do list? Or are some goals and plans not working out as hoped? While it’s likely to be an ongoing battle, you can continue to gain ground through Divine Efficiency (see Part 1) – wisdom from above to focus on the right things, the right way, and at the right time in order to create space for a miraculous amount of fruitfulness. Give it some prayerful consideration, especially if you:1) Frequently (or even seasonally) feel called to navigate a very full set of assignments with excellence2) Have diligently sought to prioritize and cut out certain assignments, yet believe you are to faithfully complete what remains rather than cut more out3) Desire to become the most meaningful and effective version of yourself (i.e., seek significance more than just success)I previously contended that divine efficiency is a blessing in my life, allows me to better bless others, and could be a tool to bless you and yours as well. It comes from God, is for God, and the results are to His glory alone, not ours.
What do you want and why?
As a soccer coach, I’ve often asked teams whether they want “it” (the ball, the win, etc). The verbal answer is always “yes,” but actions sometimes demonstrate otherwise. Divine efficiency is like other pursuits in that we typically produce more when we truly want the desired outcome in a healthy way –not obsessively or selfishly for our own gain, but for the glory of God and fulfilling our calling with excellence.If you strive to complete your to-do list just to check boxes or make yourself look good, it’s time to revisit each item and the list as a whole. Review if/why each task is important and whether/how you should give it value. Juggling those tasks according to your own strength alone (and therefore for your own glory) may create a positive impact, but genuinely turning to God for divine efficiency will increase the size and duration of your impact!
Divine efficiency from approval, not for approval
In his book Survival Guide For the Soul (How to Flourish Spiritually in a World that Pressures us to Achieve), Ken Shigematsu states, “When we seek to make significant contributions to the world because we are loved [rather than to become loved], we are now living as children of grace. We will see everything we have as a gift. We will be motivated to do our best work out of deep gratitude.”Our value doesn’t come from what we produce but from the fact that we are cherished by a perfect Father in heaven – the Creator of the universe who created us with purpose – who takes delight as we operate from that identity. We get to live from approval rather than for approval, recognizing we already are in God’s presence rather than needing to earn it. A seeker of divine efficiency, just like a kid trying to succeed on the soccer field, is most free in their pursuit when they know (and savor) that they are already loved.
Bottom Line
First, seeking and practicing divine efficiency will help you be more effective on your journey, especially when built on God-centered motivations. Remember, the best thing to do with good gifts (whether it’s divine efficiency, talents, or anything else you’ve received) is to use them. Shigematsu also reminds us that resume virtues are not as important as “eulogy virtues” (meaning character qualities). Seek divine efficiency in things that grow eulogy virtues more than just resume virtues.Second, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Steven Curtis Chapman reiterates this in an encouraging song called “Do Everything,” calling attention to the fact that He made us, that little acts of obedience bring a smile to His face, and that in doing so we actually get to help tell His story of grace! In the end, doing things to God’s glory IS divine efficiency, because we intentionally (and ideally, reflexively) focus on the most important things first. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you (Matt 6:33).Thirdly, “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). This is the right context for divine efficiency and for life as a whole. You’ve likely experienced God’s favorable answers to prayer before. I think He’ll do so with prayers for divine efficiency as well. And when He does, you won’t go back. It’s not striving to produce that can make us divinely efficient, but prayerfully seeking divine efficiency that empowers us to most effectively produce.