Write It Down!

My mother was a list maker. And even though, as a child, I often rolled my eyes and made fun of her lists, I am a list maker, too.

Mother made lists on scrap pieces of paper and on the back of used envelopes. (Perhaps she was one of the original recyclers!) I remember that grocery lists were usually on those envelopes. But the list I remember most is the one in her purse, where there was always a very small spiral notebook filled with various lists.  That notebook had lists of things that needed to be purchased. A new spool of blue thread. Or a new lightbulb. New jeans for my brother. New handkerchiefs for my dad. All sorts of things like that.  

She also had lists of things she needed to remember to do.And she kept an ongoing Christmas gift list, scratching things off as they were purchased.

Even though I ridiculed those lists when I was younger, I now find them to be a necessary part of my life.

Certainly one reason for all my lists is that they help me remember. Perhaps it's a consequence of the busyness of life, or perhaps it's a function of getting older, and certainly it’s a consequence of my stroke, but I find it helpful to write things down so I don't forget.  

Life can get very busy. There's laundry to be done. A quick glance at the calendar shows a week full of appointments. There are phone calls that need to be made and bills to be paid. There are lessons to prepare. Always something that needs to be done.

Without my lists, I would surely forget something!

Lists help me remember.

Lists keep me organized.

Book stores are filled with books about the habits of successful people, and about time management, and about organization, and about priorities. The common thread in these books is list-making. If you were to read all these books (an impossible task), you would discover that, in some way, each of them would recommend making a list of your daily tasks. Further, once the list is made, the items on the list need to be prioritized.

That's true for the chief executive and for the secretary and for the homemaker and for the college student and for every other area of life. Making a list helps us stay organized. It helps us prioritize what needs doing, so that the most important things get done first.

We make lists to remember.  

We make lists to prioritize.  

And we make lists to help us focus.

This is particularly true when it comes to our prayer life. Because we are so busy, and because there are so many needs about which we need to be praying, it's easy to be overwhelmed and lose focus. Keeping a written prayer list is a way to overcome the distractions. It's a way to help us remember.

Life is busy. I am often distracted and forgetful and disorganized. My lists help me to stay on task. 

That's true in my household responsibilities. It is even more true in my prayer life.

Writing things down helps me focus.

And writing helps me remember. 

Just as there is satisfaction in checking of a completed task on the to-do list, there is joy and satisfaction in reading back over the answers to prayer. And that’s why I write it down. To remember.

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  (Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV, emphasis mine)