REST LAND

by Tim Knappenberger

Late last year I attended one of those day-long seminars that teach you their particular method of time management, complete with a fancy binder and a "system." I must confess that I've privately sneered at those who carry their planners around under their arm wherever they go. Bound in soft leather, these planners even have an uncanny (and I speculate irreverent) resemblance to a high-priced King James edition. Whenever I'm in a meeting, out come the planners so everyone can play the game of "whose-life-looks-the-most-important." It goes something like this: "How about we all get together again on the 13th? Can't - I have a 2:00 PM. What does the 20th look like for everyone? Looks horrible for me. I'm booked every hour on the hour and double booked on the half hour. What about the 2nd Tuesday of every month? My 2nd Tuesdays are a mess until June of '97. The net result of this game is that we eventually determine EVERYONE is just too important to even be in these meetings, so we send our representatives and let them hash it out.

All right, all right, so I now have a planner. But I'm only giving it a test run and the "jury's still out!" What makes this even worse is that, along with my new carry-along time management system, I also have my schedule inputted electronically into my computer. This allows others in my office to schedule themselves into open slots in my day. Whenever I have an appointment or task to do, (this is no lie) I now enter it an average of 3 or 4 different places!! I figure it this way: I am so scheduled and organized, that as long as I fail to schedule my own death, I'll live forever!

James 4 quickly brings the true importance of our plans and schedules into perspective. Though written almost two thousand years ago, this passage of James could have just as easily been penned yesterday. What leaves me a little unnerved is wondering, If James could level this type of accusation at his 1st Century audience, what would he say to his 20th Century brethren?! I'm all for being organized. Some would even call me anal retentive (Does that have a hyphen in it?). The deception we subtly build into our organizational systems is coming to believe that our lives really are our own. That we are in control. That we have the final word about how our days will and will not proceed. In effect, James says "Hey Mr. Mist, what did you say you were doing on the 20th?!" Every day that's ever planned by any believer should be scheduled with James 4:15 scrawled across every page. We neither own Yesterday nor Tomorrow and our command of Right Now is pretty shaky. So who are we really kidding with our packed-to-the-gills planners anyway? Sadly, I fear ourselves.

Should Jesus delay His return, all of us will eventually wind up in REST LAND. Fortunately for the Christian, our REST LAND will be a place of perpetual peace and God's presence; not a dilapidated burial plot bordered by a rusting iron fence. However, both versions of REST LAND, have the same notice posted at the gate:

UPON ENTERING, CHECK ALL PLANNERS HERE.

If Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, shouldn't He be the Master of your schedule?

 James 4:13-16 (NIV)

Please drop Tim a line at   knapp@raex.com