Maybe I Need a “Don’t Do” List
I like To Do lists.
There is something wonderfully satisfying about writing down a task, getting it done, and then putting a big check mark beside it.
Pay the electric bill. Check.
Write the next chapter. Check.
Mow the grass. Check.
Clean the garage.
Well…maybe we’ll leave that one on the list for another day.
To Do lists help us organize our lives. They remind us of appointments, chores, school assignments, projects, and promises we’ve made. And whether you’re thirteen or eighty, there’s a little feeling of accomplishment every time you get to say, “Done!”
But recently I started wondering: Should I also have a Don’t Do list?
After all, God gave Moses a pretty famous list.
We call it the Ten Commandments.
And something interesting happens when you look closely at them. Most of the commandments aren’t things God tells us to do. They are things He tells us not to do.
Don’t steal.
Don’t lie about someone.
Don’t murder.
Don’t covet what someone else has.
Apparently, knowing what not to do is pretty important.
That got me thinking about my own lists.
Suppose I finish everything on my To Do list today. I answer every email. I finish my work. I make the phone calls. I run the errands. I even clean the garage.
Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.
But along the way, I lose my temper with somebody.
I say something unkind.
I ignore someone who needs help because I’m too busy.
I spend the day thinking mostly about myself.
Did I really have a successful day?
Maybe getting everything checked off my To Do list just isn’t enough.
Perhaps what matters even more is who I am while I’m doing the things on my list.
That brings me back to six thirteen-year-olds who formed a little club in 1958.
The Wesley Club needed rules. They found theirs in three simple ideas associated with John Wesley:
Do no harm.
Do all the good you can.
Do all you can to stay close to God.
Maybe those aren’t just good rules for the Wesley Club.
Maybe they belong at the top of my To Do list every morning.
Before “buy groceries.”
Before “finish the chapter.”
Before “answer emails.”
Before “clean the garage.”
Today: Do no harm.
That’s my Don’t Do list.
Today: Do all the good I can.
That’s my To Do list.
Today: Stay close to God.
That tells me why the other two matter.
And perhaps at the end of the day, instead of asking only, “How much did I get done?” I should ask a few different questions.
Did I make someone’s day a little better?
Did I avoid making someone’s day worse?
Did I notice God somewhere along the way?
Those might be the most important things I ever get to check off.
And the garage?
There’s always tomorrow.