By Phill Dunagan
There is not enough time in the day to work everything you would like to do in. Somethings have to be neglected.
I remember reading of a noted young concert artist who was asked of her secret of success with the violin.
She replied, "Planned neglect."
Then she explained:
"When I was in music school, there were many things that demanded my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted the floor, and did whatever else came to my attention. Then I hurried to my violin practice. I found I wasn't progressing as I thought I should, so I reversed things. Until my practice period was completed, I deliberately neglected everything else. That program of planned neglect, I believe, accounts for my success."
Neglect may not sound like such a good word, but it is often essential for our spiritual and material well being. The trouble is that so many of us, in doing the things that we want to do, neglect the things we ought to do.
Take prayer for example. It should be our number one priority of the day. But often times it is easy to be pushed aside or hurried because we feel we have other pressing concerns, which realistically are not nearly as important. I am not talking about taking a shower or leaving home early enough to get to work on time. Obviously, we have to allot time for our paramount responsibilities. But there are other nonessential activities which may be hindering your prayer time; such as catching that early morning news program, wasted time on your computer and a host of other distractions. Only you know your lifestyle and what may be crowding out your prayer life.
Christ is our great role model. No one relied more on His Father's help than Him! He said, "I can of mine own self do NOTHING:" (John 5:30).
Notice how this realization affected His prayer life —
"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.(Mark 1:35).
He sought the God's help early in the morning because He KNEW that seeking the strength and guidance of His Father came first!
Why not follow HIS SHINING EXAMPLE?
God's Word promises the strength and wisdom needed with various challenges that you face each day, IF we take the time to pray. Christ promised, "ASK, and it be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matthew 7:7).
The result will be, at the end of the day, you will often find that the things you neglected in order to pray eventually got done any way. But since you prayed, God gave you to strength and wisdom to do them more efficiently as well. I believe you will find — the help God gives you when you pray — will more than compensate for some of the activities you chose to set aside. There are many believers that can attest to that. I have experienced for myself the fact that prayer DOES make a difference.
God's grace can provide ALL our needs when we faithfully trust Him in prayer (Phil. 4:19). Don't be in the lack that James reminds us of when he laments — "yet ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2).
Of course, "planned neglect" could also be implemented to protect your Bible Study time or perhaps an exercise program, such as walking that you need to maintain for your health's sake. It might be a window of time you need to set aside to teach your children. The principal of "planned neglect" is stellar — it works — and can be useful in many area of our life. It simply gets back to the fundamentals of setting priorities each day, to make sure that what is truly important gets done.
We see this principal illustrated in the an account in Christ's ministry. Notice —
"Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-41)
So, indeed, we need to neglect some things in this life to have time for the activities that are truly the most important.
Christ's Words obviously bring great force to this truth when He would say —
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." — Matthew 6:33
And sometimes that MUST mean PLANNED NEGLECT!
