If it Doesn’t __________, You Shouldn’t Do it.

Every day we make hundreds of decisions, some are extremely important while others are more trivial. But how do we go about making decisions? Do we prioritize our time effectively or do we run around frantically addressing problems in a haphazard way?

The other day I took some time to write job descriptions for a few of my coworkers in my department. While I was crafting the titles and descriptions I tried to stay away from the all too familiar words like “director” or “coordinator” because, honestly, what do those even mean? Then I wrote down something surprisingly profound:

“If it doesn’t __________, they shouldn’t be doing it.” 

I gave one of my co-workers the title of “Community Builder” because she is all about doing life together well with others. She is tasked with building relationships both inside and outside of our organization, so the title fits her quite nicely. So, if a task crosses her path and it doesn’t relate to her purpose of building community, she shouldn’t do it. Why would we distract her from her purpose and passion to do something another person might be better equipped to do?

I think this is something the apostle Paul lived by. Take a look at Romans 1:1 which says:

“I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts.” 

Paul knew what his purpose was and he was “on assignment”. He was intentional with how he lived so that his life purpose (to proclaim God’s words and acts) was being done. What if we lived with the same degree of intentionality as Paul did? What if we knew our purpose in life and said “no” to those things that don’t relate to whatever it is that makes us tick?

If it Doesn’t ___________, You Shouldn’t Do it. What are you passionate about? How would you fill in the blank? Now, go out and live your passion.