Walking with Him: I Am Doing a Great Work

While Nehemiah was building the Jerusalem wall, his enemies invited him to meet with them in a nearby village. Nehemiah discerned, “…they thought to do me mischief” (Nehemiah 6:2). With a single eye focus, he “sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you” (Nehemiah 6:3)?

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, written by Greg McKeown, is a book that continually influences my life with Nehemiah principles. McKeown teaches that success in our modern lives comes from focusing on the absolute vital few things instead of trying to do everything. It’s about making wise trade-offs and learning to say no to good options or invitations for “mischief.” This is a very hard practice, isn’t it? Who hasn’t gone to Costco to buy milk and come home with a canoe?

The upcoming changes in the church schedule points to the essential: focus on Jesus Christ. Over time and with practice, we’ll figure out what may have been good or better but can now be replaced with best. Both teachers and students can learn to prepare so classes become spiritual feasts filled with God’s love and the love of fellow members. Meanwhile, I’ll see you on the lake. I bought the blue one.

“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.” (Greg McKeown)

“Our Heavenly Father seeks those who refuse to allow the trivial to hinder them in their pursuit of the eternal. He seeks those who will not allow the attraction of ease or the traps of the adversary to distract them from the work He has given them to perform. He seeks those whose actions conform to their words—those who say with conviction, ‘I am doing a great work and cannot come down.’” (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf)