TOO
MUCH TO DO

Topics: Burnout; Focus; Priorities; Work

References: Matthew 22:35–40; Luke 10:41–42; Philippians 3:7–8

When animal trainers go into a cage of lions, they carry whips and pistols. But invariably they also carry a stool. According to William H. Hinson, the stool is the most important tool.

The trainer holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. The animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal. It becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented.

Likewise, the stress of having too much to do can paralyze us.

—John Maxwell, Developing the Leader within You (Nelson, 1993)

PART 27: SPECIAL DAYS