“I may start off with a desire for connection, but the urgency of production feels pressing. In reality, our connections are more urgent than we realize. . . . That’s true when it comes to connecting with the significant people in our lives, but it’s even more true when it comes to connecting with God.”- Kyle Idleman
“O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeing I am.”- Psalm 39:4 (ESV)
Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 7 of When Your Way Isn’t Working as he underscores that doing should flow from being. Often, Pastor Idleman observes, when we abide in Christ, we don’t feel like we’re doing anything. However, connection with the Vine always leads to fruitfulness in the most important ways.
Most significantly, Kyle states, one way to check your “doing versus being” involves paying attention to the way you plan your calendar. Does the time you organize center around production or connection? Responsibilities or relationships?
Certainly, God wants us to fulfill our responsibilities and carry out our duties. God calls us to be good stewards of what He has entrusted to us. Yet, our challenge remains to prioritize our connections. First with Jesus and then with others. What our lives produce flows from those connections. Above all, Pastor Idleman underscores, it’s worth fighting for this commitment. But we must work at it with intention. Because, while production is temporary, connections are eternal.
In conclusion, Kyle Martin puts it this way:
“Working hard is good. It is in fact biblical. But it should not be done for the sole purpose of a goal’s sake at the expense of relationships with others. . . . As you live your life on this earth, there is no greater good you can do for a person than to love them so much that you point them to Jesus Christ. But first, he should be your first relationship that you cannot neglect.”
Today’s question: Do you agree that our connections are more urgent than we realize? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “What would you do with you?”
