Prioritizing Our People and Our Projects
KAREN EHMAN
Lee en español
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 (AMP)
I settled on the front porch with my iced tea and my laptop, hoping to make the task at hand more pleasant: renewing my driver’s license online. Just then, my phone began to buzz with a text from a friend who wanted to talk.
I had a decision to make. Would I stop my task to call this person? Since I knew the conversation might run long, I decided I’d call when my online work was finished.
We all have obligations and people in our lives that need our attention — it’s a balancing act that won’t ever go away. So how do we navigate spending time on both our work and our humans?
The letter of Philippians is full of advice for living in harmony with others by humbly emulating Jesus. The writer of the letter, Paul, urges, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). It is a simple sentence yet a significant truth.
The verse doesn’t say to look out only for the interests of others, neglecting our own needs. Nor does it say to watch out only for ourselves and ignore the needs of those around us.
Paul used the Greek word skopeó, translated as “look out for,” which means “to keep an eye on, to consider, to contemplate or to scrutinize carefully and then act.” When it comes to our tasks, activities and daily responsibilities, we do well to keep a watchful eye on them to make sure they get done. However, we can also mindfully observe the relationships in our lives, knowing there are times when others need us and when we need them.
Think of wearing bifocal glasses: Sometimes you look far away at what’s happening in the distance, but other times you focus on what is right before you. Similarly, we can toggle our focus between our people and our projects.
What does this look like?
Maybe we put our phone in “do not disturb” mode when we are at work, allowing messages from family only and returning texts and calls to others later.
Maybe we teach our kids that when we have an important online meeting, we’ll have the door shut, and they are only to knock in case of emergency.
On the flip side, when we hear that our widowed neighbor needs help weeding her yard, perhaps we ditch our plans for an afternoon of shopping and help her instead.
God empowers us to love our people well without neglecting the duties He has called us to perform. May we love others deeply and perform our work diligently, trusting God to help us creatively find the bandwidth to do both.
Lord, please give me the wisdom and energy both to love my people well and to do my work with excellence, giving You all the glory as I do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
If you’d enjoy a resource that will help you with both your relationships and your responsibilities, grab Karen’s new book, coauthored with Ruth Schwenk: The Love Your Life Project: 40 Days to Prioritize Your Passions, Cultivate Productive Habits, and Refuel with Times of Rest. For a biblical, guided journey toward living your priorities and loving your life, check out the book here.
When we’re in an uncomfortable or unfamiliar season, we’re often left wondering, Why am I in this place? What is God trying to teach me? Where is He leading me? Friend, we understand. That’s why we created our new First 5 study guide, Where Do I Belong? Finding Our True Home Through the Study of Exile in the Bible, to help you gain a biblical perspective as you navigate questions just like these. And as an added bonus … When you purchase your study guide, you can go even deeper with six bonus videos and discussion questions. Get your copy, and we’ll start studying together on September 9!
ENGAGE
To celebrate the release of The Love Your Life Project: 40 Days to Prioritize Your Passions, Cultivate Productive Habits, and Refuel with Times of Rest, Karen is giving away a bundle of organizational and Bible-study tools along with some other treats. Head to her Instagram for details.
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act …” (CSB).
What about your relationships and your responsibilities this week do you need to commit to the Lord, trusting that He knows best and will act?
Using Philippians 2:4 as a springboard, craft a prayer about looking out for the interests of others while you also tend to the interests of your own life. Ask the Father to grant you discernment for how to respond when the needs of people and projects seem to clash.
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2024 by Karen Ehman. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Tuesday, 27 August 2024.
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