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Are You An Addict For Urgency?

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Until you value yourself you won’t value your time. And until you value your time you won’t use it wisely. Urgency is addictive. If you find yourself habitually reacting to outside demands, you may be ‘hooked'. Like other addictions, urgency: a) temporarily meets a need to feel needed b) creates a sense of ‘getting things done’ c) falsely enhances your self-esteem d) often makes the problem worse because ‘haste makes waste.’ If you’re an urgency addict, consider this: 1) In our society busyness equals status; people expect you to be in demand. Now, while constantly abandoning your goals to help others accomplish theirs may make you feel more appreciated, it sidetracks you from your God-ordained purpose and creates a false sense of significance. 2) Sometimes it’s hard to say no, because as a Christian you feel ‘obligated’. But not every problem is a call for you to jump in and solve it. Your decision to get involved in anything should come from God. Before you react, pray! Listen: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6). If you’re a ‘fixer’ by nature, you probably get fulfillment out of solving problems, meeting needs and expectations, influencing behavior and outcomes. "So what can I do?" you ask. Recognize that you’re vulnerable to urgent pleas and have a hard time saying ‘No’. Identifying your response pattern can stop you from getting ‘hooked in’, and help you to stay focused on what God’s already called you to do.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me discernment on what it is that you want me to do when people request my time. Help me understand that you rise up many others to help – you work through your body of believers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen