"Devote and Delegate"

EPISODE 128

Focus on What Matters

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They say that multitasking is a myth. While we can do some things at the same time - like listening to music while typing an email - doing other activities simultaneously seems practically impossible.

That's the dilemma the apostles faced in Acts 6. They had too many balls in the air and not enough time to focus on them all. So how'd they juggle all these tasks, and what can we learn about staying focused today?

Trouble Triage

"Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution" (Acts 6:1).

As they continued to grow, it became clear they'd neglected an important group of people from the financial support they were collecting. And helping these Hellenist widows was undoubtedly an important task which needed to get done, not overlooked.

When you're feeling overwhelmed, it's helpful to start by writing everything down. Make a list. What issues need addressing? Are you missing anything? Only when you've acknowledged all the tasks can you start assigning their priority.

Preferred Priority

"And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ... But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word"" (Acts 6:2, 4).

So the apostles prioritized their list. They knew what their mission was, and — more importantly — what it wasn't. Prayer and preaching the word of God was on the top of their list. So was helping feed the widows unimportant? Not at all! But that was a job which others could do.

What do you place at the top of your priority list? What's your overall purpose in life? Sometimes we act like firefighters, chasing every little issue as it comes up, rather than surgically selecting our next steps with thoughtfulness. As it's been said, "If everything is important, nothing is important!"

Delegated Duties

"Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ... And what they said pleased the whole gathering ..." (Acts 6:3, 5).

The apostles delegated this critical job to others to manage. They stayed "hands-off," allowing the rest of the disciples to select seven men to take care of these widows. Empowered with the task, they were greatly encouraged.

Delegation is one of my biggest challenges. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" has often left me feeling overworked and overstressed. Lean on each other and let others help you! And in doing so, it helps them feel a part of the community too.

So when you're juggling too much, take a lesson from the apostles. Note all your tasks, prioritize them appropriately, and ask for help from others!