To Do Lists (Trina Agee Cornell)

Good evening! For the next 18 days, I will be on a mission trip to Vietnam. During that time, I will have new blogs each night from guest authors! (Also, on many nights, I will post pictures from my trip here!) For the next 26 evenings, my spot will be filled by my dear sister in Christ, Trina Agee Cornell! Trina and I went through many mission trips together and I have been a guest in Trina's and her husband, Bob's home. Please keep me in your prayers!
Question #108
I spent an afternoon at Barnes and Noble a few months ago – this is a place where I could spend hours upon
hours. As a reading specialist by trade – and a reader by nature – it makes sense. On this particular trip, I
found a book, tucked away with the journals in their display, called 3,000 Questions About Me. I opened it
and started thumbing through – and I have to admit, I was quite intrigued. I started looking through the
questions, thinking about what my responses would be. I knew I just had to get it – the book sat at my house
for a month, collecting dust. I finally pulled it out and decided to answer one page of questions a day. 3,000
questions can be overwhelming – but how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! As I answer my page
of questions each day, I read the question – and I put what immediately comes to mind. I do not overthink
them – I answer them honestly and openly. My series of blog posts will focus on certain questions that I
believe get to the core of who I am – as a wife, mother, and a child of God.
108. Something on your to-do list that never gets done.
Interestingly enough, my answer to this question was the following: “Most everything gets done eventually”.
There is some truth to this – I keep an open note in my Notes app called “TO DO THIS WEEK”. I add and take
away from it on a daily basis – I typically add to it in the morning while I am at the gym – I get a lot done while
I get my cardio work out on! When things come to mind throughout the day, I open the note and add to it.
There is satisfaction in erasing things from my list – I feel a sense of accomplishment in “checking things off”.
I have had days where I did not feel very productive – I did not cross enough items off of my list, and I did not
accomplish the goals I had set for the day. There was a time when this used to get to me – I would be
incredibly hard on myself, adding more to my “list” of things to do the next day. I have learned that,
unfortunately, I pinned my self-worth on this list – if I could not get it done, then I wasn’t enough. I did not do
enough, so therefore, I am not enough. This is a deep-seeded belief that has plagued me for years.
Thankfully, I am coming out from under this – I know my self-worth is not found in what I “do” – it is found in
who I am in Christ. I am fearfully and wonderfully made – the Lord has given me everything I need in order to
accomplish His purpose for my life. More and more each day, as I dig into His word, I learn more about who
He is – and who I am as His child.
In the long run, it is OK if things on my to-do list do not get done – leading a life of obedience to the Lord is
what matters.

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org