What Rings Your Bell?
There is an old saying, "When a person's work is something they love, they never work a day in their life." I can truly say that I love what I do. However there are some ancillary things attached to my work that take some of the enjoyment out of it. Most of the "joy-killers" are of my own making. That is to say, they are not necessarily part of my job description, but they are activities or responsibilities that I think others expect me to fulfill.
In an effort to divorce myself from expectations that I have placed on myself, I'm meditating on Paul's exhortation in Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men." (HCSB) I'm thinking of how best to implement this in my life. What I've settled on is asking myself this question whenever I'm in doubt about the nagging sense that I should be doing something. "Is this something that God has said in His Word that I should do, or something that the Holy Spirit has convicted me to do? I don't linger over that question, but follow the first impression that comes when I ask it. So far it seems to be helping me de-clutter my mind, and hopefully my schedule.
The fact that I'm even writing this blog is an example. I spent all morning in a meeting, followed by a business lunch and then the 25 mile trip to the office. From the time I walked in the door, my mind was flitting from one, "ought to" to another like a hummingbird to flowers in a garden. The result was guilt, frustration and inactivity. Finally I paused to ask the defining question (see above). The end result is that I'm enthusiastically writing this blog in the belief and hope that it will benefit some reader who struggles, as I do, with the drudgery of work that does not spring from the solidly rung bell.
In an effort to divorce myself from expectations that I have placed on myself, I'm meditating on Paul's exhortation in Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men." (HCSB) I'm thinking of how best to implement this in my life. What I've settled on is asking myself this question whenever I'm in doubt about the nagging sense that I should be doing something. "Is this something that God has said in His Word that I should do, or something that the Holy Spirit has convicted me to do? I don't linger over that question, but follow the first impression that comes when I ask it. So far it seems to be helping me de-clutter my mind, and hopefully my schedule.
The fact that I'm even writing this blog is an example. I spent all morning in a meeting, followed by a business lunch and then the 25 mile trip to the office. From the time I walked in the door, my mind was flitting from one, "ought to" to another like a hummingbird to flowers in a garden. The result was guilt, frustration and inactivity. Finally I paused to ask the defining question (see above). The end result is that I'm enthusiastically writing this blog in the belief and hope that it will benefit some reader who struggles, as I do, with the drudgery of work that does not spring from the solidly rung bell.
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