I might have an overly optimistic to-do list today, which would make that two days in a row.

Some people like to-do lists and some people don’t. For me, they provide some kind of traction for the day, something to go after. 

When I don’t live by a to-do list, I get less done and forget about some things I should address.

But I have to admit that sometimes I pad my to-do list. I put things on it that take very little time. I think it’s because I like crossing things out and putting a check mark beside them.

That’s right, I put a line through the things on my list and then I also put a check mark beside them. For me, executing just one of those acts is not doing justice to the accomplishment of putting the to-do behind me.

The other day I had an ambitious list of to-dos. The first part of the list went pretty well. I accomplished it in a time frame that left ample room to work on the rest. 

But then everything slowed down. I got stalled on one of my to-dos and never recovered. At the end of the day I still had several items on my list. 

You might think I would just take those to-dos from yesterday and make them my to-do list for today. The truth is some of them got on today’s list but others will now be relegated to a list sometime next week.

And sadly, my to-do list for today is looking like it might be as ambitious as yesterday’s … which means I may end up with a whole bunch of to-dos left undone again.  

So why do I do this?

You would think that at this stage in my life I should be able to figure out what I can get done in a day and make my list accordingly. 

There are two reasons my list is ambitious. One reason is I just want to get some things on the list so I won’t forget about them. It’s okay if I get them done in a few days or a week from now, but I just want to make sure they are listed to remind me.

The other reason – well, this one is not so great, but many of us suffer from it – is what I call “big eyes, little belly”. 

It’s a phrase we would often say to our son when he was young. Hey, I still say it sometimes. 

He liked to put large portions of food on his plate. But by the end of dinner, he sometimes hadn’t eaten all that much of it. We would comment, “big eyes, little belly”.

That is the same principle as to why I have ambitious to-do lists … big eyes, little belly. 

I think I can get more done than what I am actually capable of. 

Here’s the thing: We often think we can do more than we can. We don’t go to God with things because we don’t think we need God’s help. Instead we think we can do it ourselves. We should realize that we often have “big eyes, little belly” syndrome and we should seek God’s involvement. Don’t be afraid to admit you need help. Don’t think you can do it all yourself. Ask God to help you get it done.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What on your to-do list do you need to take to God? Leave your comments and questions below.

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