The most important question

Oh, how many days turn out differently than what I have planned!
I can start out the day with an up-to-date calendar and an efficient list and, after a very busy day, I look down and the to-do list is untouched and new things have been added. Charles Shedd, in his classic book A Time for All Things says that one of the secrets to a joyful Christian life is to learn to make friends with divine interruptions. Decades after first reading his challenge, I am still working on welcoming interruptions.
Learning to welcome interruptions is not one of those optional skills for ministry. Whether or not you can make coffee or stir barbeque meat at dawn for the annual fund-raiser--THOSE are optional ministry skills. But learning to deal with interruptions? That is in the category of necessary skills.
I have spent a lot of time and money on time management guides. I have mastered multi-tasking to the max. I have learned to work smarter and not just more. I still struggle with the idea that "more is less" (a phrase that I do not believe is automatically true). But, finally, I think I have made some progress.
After spending three days completely differently than I had expected, I looked around at my to-do list, my house and my coming week. Instead of asking "what did I get done and what is still ahead of me?", (a question that inevitably leads to overwhelm), I asked the more important question: Did I do what was MOST important? Although I didn't get around to doing the things on my dream list, I spent my time lined up with my priorities of what is most important. And I realized that I had stumbled onto the place of true peace.
Success isn't getting everything done. In every area of life, there is always more to do than time to do it: taking care of a home, taking care of a family, serving a church and, certainly serving a district. Every night, when I have time to pray and reflect, the "to do" list is still long no matter how productive the day has been. So I need to stop judging the day by how much I am checking off the list--a list that, by the very nature of a caring heart and creative spirit is always going to keep growing.
The question that matters is not how much did I check off my list. The question at the heart of a faithful life is this: Did I spend my time doing what is most important? If I can say "yes" to that question, it won't matter how many things are still on the list for days to come.