Articles
Do We Always Do What We Think Is Important?
Sometimes we place a lot of emphasis on prioritizing. By this we usually mean assessing what needs to be done and arranging those things in a hierarchy so that important things get first attention. But even if we are successful at identifying what deserves priority, does that mean we are going to act on it? Putting it a different way, are we always motivated to attend to the things we admit are of the utmost importance?
The American Bible Society recently commissioned a survey by Barna Research concerning the role of the Bible in American society. Here are several interesting findings:
- 85 percent of households own a Bible. Actually, the average American household has 4.3 Bibles.
- 69 percent of Americans believe the Bible provides answers on how to live a meaningful life. However, 46 percent say they read the Bible no more than once or twice a year.
- 79 percent believe they are knowledgeable about the Bible, but 54 percent were unable to correctly identify the first five books of the Bible.
- Approximately half of Americans surveyed didn’t know the fundamental differences between the teachings of the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon, with 46 percent saying they believe all three books teach the same spiritual truths. (FoxNews.com, April 29, 2012)
The survey led Lamar Vest, president and CEO of the American Bible Society, to ask: “If Americans believe in the value of reading and applying the Bible, why don’t more of us do so?” Good question for all of us to ponder.
Do we tend to assume that merely pointing out what needs to be done assures that others – perhaps our children, or a co-worker – will be automatically motivated to do it? I do. But then I think: “Do I always focus on the things of greatest importance? Am I always disciplined and conscientious to follow my priorities?” No. But I should, as should we all. What goes wrong between the recognition of what is meaningful or crucial and the execution of it?
First, it is not that difficult to intellectually prioritize important things. But following through involves effort such as planning, sacrifice, money, time – or combinations thereof. In other words, doing important things often will inconvenience us.
Secondly, inconvenience often is avoided by procrastination. We may give in to other competing priorities or say that, though the action is important, we’ll get to it later. We simply offer what we convince ourselves to be acceptable excuses for not attending to what is important.
Third, if we do this enough, deferring becomes habitual, a way of life. We find it increasingly easy to wave off what is crying out for attention, and on some level we accept the consequences in favor of inaction.
Think about an oil change. Depending on the car and the type of oil, an oil change is recommended every 3,000-6,000 miles. If you go 7,000, 8,000 or 9,000 miles without changing the oil, will you notice any difference? Probably not. But if you don’t change your own oil, you will have to schedule a visit, sacrifice an hour or more of your time, face the inevitable “you also need ...” pressure from the mechanic, and pay about $30. What drives us to overcome all the inertia and get our oil changed is the deep belief that not doing so will damage the engine and cost us thousands of dollars down the road.
Jesus said to the sleepy disciples: “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Paul lamented: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ... For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind.” (Rom. 7:19, 22-23). Both Jesus and Paul recognize the capacity to correctly assess priorities while lacking the mental and spiritual strength to follow through.
So whether the subject is Bible study, evangelism, meaningful interaction with our family or encouraging the weak, the easy part is recognizing the obligation. The hard part is the execution. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). May we seek to develop this quality, which is the catalyst of turning intent into action.
