The Tyranny of the Urgent

 

By Andrea Merrell

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this:

‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31 NLT

 

It was one of those weeks when my to-do list seemed three miles long. After being quite ill, I was behind in my household tasks and all other normal routines.

Voices screamed at me. Dust me. Clean me. Fix me. Pay that bill. Run that errand. Do it now! In an effort to quiet those voices, I neglected important matters that needed to take priority—especially my time with the Lord.

Some call it the tyranny of the urgent, much like the proverbial squeaky wheel that always gets the attention above all else. It’s a self-generated expectation that puts us under unnecessary pressure. It steals our peace and joy and keeps us from being led by the Spirit of God.

Jesus said, “The most important commandment is this … you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength … and your neighbor as yourself.”

We can get so caught up in trivial matters that we forget, ignore, or neglect what God is calling us to do. Even in the church, we can get so busy serving Him that we neglect loving Him—and others.

Solomon sums it up quite well in Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commandments, for this is everyone’s duty” (NLT).

Our relationship with the Lord comes first. Everything else can wait.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash