A List-Maker’s Guide to the 2 Greatest Commandments

1. Love God
2. Love Others
3. Wash the Dishes
4. Shop for Groceries
5. Read Matthew 2-4
6. Pray for Aunt Melinda
7. Balance the Budget

 
It would be funny if it wasn’t so painfully true. I am a list-making maniac, and while I don’t want to change that part of myself, every personality has pitfalls. ​The above example is one of my quagmires. I don’t make lists as blatantly laughable as this one, but some of them come pretty close.

Is it wrong to put your Bible reading and prayer time on your checklist for the day? Honestly, if it serves as a motivational reminder to spend time with God, then go for it! 

The problem for me is the mindset that comes over me when I’m fulfilling one of the things on my checklist. I immediately go into efficiency mode, trying to check off as many things as I can in the shortest time possible. This works well for the house cleaning but poorly for my walk with God.

​You see, I run my day-to-day life with a task-oriented mindset. This mindset helps with efficiency in many areas of life, but when I apply it to relationships, my runaway productivity train runs out of track quickly. Relationships don’t function inside a checkbox.

God designed us to be useful, productive, and orderly beings, but we are also relational beings since we are designed in His image. Relationships are harder than checklists because they are never quite finished, are always evolving, and are constantly stretching us outside of our comfort zones.
 
The painful truth is, relationships are more important than checklists. Why? Because God said so.

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

Loving someone doesn’t require a relationship, you might say. And in a sense, you’d be right. We can show love to strangers by the words we say and the things we do. But somehow, I don’t think Jesus had random acts of kindness and service in mind when He gave these commandments.

 If these are indeed the greatest commandments, then we should follow them fully. The fullest form of love requires personal knowledge, and that personal knowledge comes through time spent, words spoken, and emotions shared. In other words, it comes through a relationship.

God’s greatest desire is for His people to cultivate deep relationships with Him and with the people He has placed within their spheres of influence. He cares about the minutia of life that makes up our to-do lists and fills up a great majority of our time, but He cares more for the moments we spend off the clock talking to Him and encouraging each other.
 
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how many things we cross off our list for today if we didn’t also spend time getting to know our God and our people better. God prioritizes love above productivity, so His followers should too (even the list-makers among us).

What are some practical ways to love God and others more than our to-do lists?

1. Pray before you make your to-do list.
   ​Making a list is a good thing—especially if that’s the way you’re wired. Productivity and setting goals aren’t bad things, but praying about your day before you set your goals will change your whole mindset. Intentionally put God first by asking for His wisdom and guidance for the day. This prayer time will also help you stay in tune with God’s leading throughout the day.
   ​
2. Decide ahead of time to allow God or people to override your list.
   The things on your list are important, but they pale in comparison to the importance of loving God and loving others. If opportunities to serve God, praise God, or boast about God come up when you have something else scheduled, that something else will have to wait. It’s just that simple. In Heaven someday, you will not regret sharing the Gospel with a coworker instead of getting the grocery shopping done on grocery day. Prioritize what God prioritizes.
   
   
3. Stay sensitive to God’s leading and the needs of others throughout your day.
   ​Whatever God has planned for your day, probably won’t go exactly according to your own plan. Instead of shying away from anything off your planned script, embrace the detours that God brings to your day. These detours mean God is at work in your life and is using you to glorify Him and help others. These uses are infinitely more productive in light of eternity than checking any box on your list. Throughout your perfectly ordered day, you might find a coworker who is struggling with grief or a family member who is feeling unloved. These aren’t inconveniences, they are amazing, God-given opportunities to show love.

Most importantly of all, my fellow list-makers, don’t ever put yourself in a position where your relationship with God feels inconvenient. Time devoted to learning about God through reading His Word, fellowshipping with His family, and serving Him in outreach is outside the limits of any checklist we make for our personal goals. Loving God and people are not goals to be checked off our list at the end of the day—they are the very heart that pumps life-blood into our Christian lives.

"...relationships are more important than checklists....Loving God and loving people are not goals to be checked off our list at the end of the day—they are the very heart that pumps life-blood into our Christian lives." I love these quotes! How have you found this to be true in your own life?