A Presbyterian Leader blogpost by Martha Miller
Over the years I’ve become a writer-downer. In other words, if it isn’t written down, it really doesn’t exist. To remember to do any task, I have to go through the process of writing it on a piece of paper and go back to read it and, if appropriate, check it off of the list. In an effort to be a good steward of paper, I even tried to move to using a dry erase board for my interminable lists. No luck. Turns out I need that process of physically writing down my to-do list in something that seems more permanent. In some way, it feels that I’m making a commitment, I guess. It won’t simply rub off; it’s there for the life of the paper.
In a society that went from an oral background to a written one, important to-do lists were also eventually written down in our Scriptures. In fact, the sacred Shema (Duet. 6: 4-5) instructs us to keep the words in our hearts, “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” We are told that these words from Deuteronomy are so important that they should be written down and recited constantly.
Obviously this is not the only written to-do list for us as leaders in God’s church. While not lists to be checked off in order to move to another task, the Scriptures are full of such reminders about living out our call faithfully. From the Ten Commandments of the Exodus to Micah’s reminder to do kindness, love mercy, and walk humbly with God to Christ’s expansion of the commandment to love others as we have been loved by God.
While my to-do lists of daily tasks seem like minutia in light of these great words, commands and reminders, my hope is that my small tasks might eventually be leading me to faithful response to God’s call; to truly live as one of Christ’s disciples. I’ll keep writing them down but more importantly, I’ll keep reading them all.