How do you remember things you need to do? When you’re in the middle of one task and an idea comes into your head or you remember that you’ve got to buy and send a birthday card or gift within the next few days, what do you do?
I often use Post It Notes (Sticky Notes) which I can peel easily from their stack on my desk and fix to the desk surface, a piece of paper, a wall or shelf. You can get an electronic equivalent too on your computer or phone screen though I’ve not tried that.
I haven’t got to the stage of using different coloured notes for different topics yet. Unfortunately, as I’ve got older, it’s usually been a case of grabbing the top sticky note from the nearest stack before the thing I need to remember or that ‘amazing’ idea flies out of the other side of my brain before I’ve been able to grasp and anchor it.
Sometimes, when my brain and the surface of my desk get too full of new ideas, reminders of things I must do and people I must contact, I find myself ignoring them. There’s just too much to cope with and I’m overwhelmed, even resentful that I’ve got so much to do; even though it’s, more often than not, my own fault for arranging and taking on too much.
But the Post It notes I always try to pay attention to/prioritise are those ones which I can’t see physically: the spiritual Post It notes.
I return often to the Bible story of Martha and Mary’s reactions to Jesus when, as their friend, he visited them: Martha rushed around getting exhausted and resentful, while Mary sat with Jesus, simply listening and learning. This brings me back to the realisation that it’s not what I try (and often fail) to do for God but how I am with God which matters.
A helpful spiritual Post It note reminds me to listen to the daily reflection from Pray As You Go https://pray-as-you-go.org/ which provides a lovely framework for prayer and contemplation. It’s what I do each morning before I check emails and messages and start on the day’s tasks.
Then, as I go through the day, I find it’s helpful to turn away from all the Post Its on my desk or keyboard from time to time and sense the spiritual Post Its. When I go to my Home Page on the internet, is there a ‘breaking’ news story which I could be praying about?
Is God prompting me to stop, take some time away from the computer and go outside not only to get some fresh air and clear my head but also to experience the wonder of His creation?
On days when I’m super busy I’m sometimes prompted to take a few moments to quietly ‘be’ in God’s presence, absorbing the simple truth that I am loved and blessed however active, or inactive, I may feel that I’m being.
Among the plethora of notes and reminders written on a variety of coloured sticky notes with a variety of different coloured pens with which I’m surrounded, (and I have been known to get up during the night and add to the piles!), the ‘spiritual’ reminders aren’t always obvious. Yet, they’re the most important. I’m practising becoming ever more conscious of them and reaping the benefits.
Think about your own reminders. What do you need to be reminded of today, this week, this month or for the rest of this year? Keep as many lists, diaries and calendars as you need to, physical, mental or electronic. But don’t forget the spiritual prompts reminding you to connect with God.
Now, not having written a blog post for a few months, I can remove the Post It note stuck to my computer keyboard as a prompt to write one. That’s one down only another ten or so, in various colours to go, and my desk will be clear!
Sunlight Through the Shadows 