New Year Focus: How to Kill What Isn’t Working

For my new year focus, one of the goals I’m especially mindful of is killing off anything that robs my time and energy and produces little-to-no results.

I’m a big believer that we should be quick to eliminate the extraneous in every aspect of our lives.

Why?

Because that extra “stuff” only serves to weigh us down and make us less capable of carrying out those tasks we are meant to do.

James 4:17 says that if we know to do something, but don’t do it, it’s a sin for us.

That’s why I’m making a concentrated effort in killing off anything in my life that isn’t working, and here’s how I intend to do it.

#NewYear “How To Kill Off What Isn’t Working” and Why! More info here:
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New Year Focus: The Why

I’ve learned that in setting goals, if I spend some time on the why–or motivation–behind those goals, it increases the likelihood of success. So I try to make it a point to have at least one “why” for every goal.

And the why behind my desire to kill off anything in my life that isn’t working? Well, here’s a real-life example to help me explain:

We’ve had a ton more snow this year than our previous two winters. What makes that especially tricky in our mountain location is that the sun comes out and partially melts the snow. Then the freezing temps at night form a layer of slippery ice beneath the snow.

Last week, in preparation for our first mini-cabin tenant, we somehow managed to get stuck.

On the edge of a cliff.

In freezing degree weather.

The harder we tried to maneuver out of our precarious situation with our four-wheel drive vehicle, the deeper in we dug ourselves.

The image of our tires spinning against the ice is the perfect analogy of WHY we need to let go of anything that isn’t working. It takes a ton of energy to make tires spin that fast, but you have absolutely no traction, which means no forward progress.

What a waste of resources!

The Bible is clear that we’re to be good stewards of what God gives us (Matthew 25:14-30). That includes not just our material possessions, but our time, talents, and energy as well.

Good stewardship isn’t just about money. It’s also about our time and energy. @Cathy_Bryant
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So the “why” behind killing off what isn’t working is this: If it’s an unproductive waste of our time and energy, it’s not worth having.

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New Year Focus: The How

Now our new year focus of getting rid of those time- and energy-drains centers on the steps we need to take to kill off those little darlings.

1. Lay our lives before the Lord.

Because of our finite and limited human reasoning, it only makes sense to enlist the help of the One who knows and sees everything. In addition, He loves us, knows us better than we know ourselves, wants what’s best for us, and has His plan for our lives. This step is simply a matter of praying: “God, please show me Your plan for my life. Show me what I need to get rid of in order to better run this race.”

2. Have the courage to make changes.

It’s not enough to seek God’s help if we’re unwilling to make the changes He gives us. And from personal experience, I can tell you that it’s not easy to let go of some “pet” projects. But if we don’t, we’ll be headed off down a rabbit trail that can waste hours, if not years, of our lives.

Submitting to God is always the best answer.

Think of it this way. Let’s say that when we start off on a new-to-us path, we decide to lean our ladder against Building A. Halfway up that ladder we start to question if we’re where we’re supposed to be. You see, we forgot to consult God before we chose the building.

Now we have two choices. We can either keep climbing that ladder that leans against Building A, or we can stop and ask Him for His guidance.

Get this.

If He tells us to climb down and move to Building B, we’d better do it. If we don’t, we’ll spend our entire lives climbing up the ladder leaned against Building A…only to find out that we entirely missed out on what God wanted for us.

3. Ask God to make His desires your desires.

Psalm 34:4 is a verse that is often misinterpreted. It says this: Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Some look at this and think. Wow! All I have to do is delight in God and He’s gonna give us everything we want.

Ummm…no.

If we seek God sincerely, basking in the rest, joy, peace, love, and more that characterizes who He is, our desires are going to change, and God is the impetus behind that change.

As my memory verse this week so aptly reminds me: I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5

It’s so worth it to put God in His rightful place in our lives (READ: the center). When we do, He changes us from the inside out. As our desires become His desires for us, we’ll want to get rid of anything that keeps us from living out His plan.

Besides that, it’s the only way we can produce fruit.

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New Year Focus: Wrap-Up

So there you have it.

The new year is the perfect time (but certainly not the only time) to focus on what is and what isn’t working in our lives, and eliminating what isn’t working. Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. After all, none of us want to spend our lives with no traction or forward progress.

Instead, let’s lay our lives before the Lord, have the courage to make the changes He calls for, and then stay so close to Him that our desires get lost in His.

Comment Chit-Chat: What are some things in your life that just aren’t working? How will you handle it? Are some of the things holding you back “pet” projects?

 

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