Godly planning requires an eraser

Would the coming of Jesus Christ tomorrow mess up my plans?

What a challenging question. Today, I’m reading verses that tell me to have an eternal perspective, to prioritize the things of God rather than stuff that does not last. These verses say:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

In context, they begin a section that tells me to put off my sin and put on the new life that Christ has given me. Actually, that is the easier goal. I hate that old life and am quite happy to live in the power that He gives. However, these verses make me think about the “mess up my plans” part of the question.

Yesterday I planned to finish a small project and go to bed. Instead, the phone rang. It was a young Christian friend who is here from another part of the world to advance his education. He has not felt well and found out yesterday that he has tuberculosis. He must be quarantined for a few weeks. These days, doctors send TB patients home rather than into a sanatorium, but his landlord and roommates want him out of the house, now!

We have a room, but my husband’s CLL means a low immune system. Not a good idea to move him here. Where can he go? It is -32 C this morning, and moving to another place in such conditions is not a great idea, never mind the difficulty of finding something for a few weeks. He is feeling well and working on what to do. Even though I want to help him, part of me went to bed thinking I’d rather be working on my project.

I could argue that both project and DC’s needs seem like “things on this earth” but I know that is not what Colossians 3 is about. It is not the “thing” out in front of me that God challenges, but the attitude of my heart. Not only must my mind drop that selfishness, all temporary stuff must be evaluated by an eternal perspective. My project will not survive the test of time or eternity, but DC will. He is a child of God with an eternal soul and needs help. The qualities God asks of me are also eternal. Anyone could make my project, but God wants Christian virtue to meet this young person’s need. This is a no-brainer.

However, there are lots of things on my to-do list and many of them get interrupted. Even just now, as I’m trying to focus on the Lord and how to make these decisions, the telephone rings. Sometimes I don’t answer because being with the Lord is more important, but a glance at the call display and a little nudge from the Spirit tell me that I better take this call.

Something like this moves me into a grey area. I was focusing on eternal things and yet the Lord urged me to take care of a temporal one. How can that be, particularly in light of these verses? Obviously, having my mind set on things above includes listening to what He says, not trying on my own to decide what is “more spiritual” when confronted with such choices.

Besides these examples, I’ve more than that one little project in my plans. I’m preparing to teach a Bible class again soon, have been asked to do a presentation at a local shop, and another one for our denomination. I’ve a column to write for a quarterly publication and several websites to update. None of these things are eternal, yet many of them have a spiritual focus and could make an impact on eternity for someone. Should God put another option before me, could they be as easily dropped as that little project?

Deciding what has value for eternity and what does not is a task for the Holy Spirit. I’m not always certain. I know that sin is not going to show up in heaven, but an act of kindness such as taking time to listen to someone’s woes might wind up making a difference. So could things like patience with a telemarketer, forgiveness toward a meanspirited relative, gentleness with a senior (who, at this point in my life, is someone older than I am), and meekness when someone points out my faults and failures.

Yesterday, in some measure, I was sure of myself. Today, I don’t feel so certain. Something tells me this is a good thing. Instead of sliding into a schedule of completing what I want to accomplish, God is constantly telling me that I need to pay close attention to not only the interruptions, but to His quiet and discerning directions.