"Whole Ass One Thing"

This meme has a saying attributed to a “Parks and Recreation” character, Ron Swanson. I like the show but don’t watch it enough to have heard the character say it, so I’m assuming the attribution is correct.

Do you ever feel like you work this way? You have so much going on, you have to keep focusing on different tasks and you worry about the quality. Maybe you don’t “half ass” two or three things but you have to “whole ass” them one at a time, switching back and forth among things you have to get done. Yesterday, for instance, I focused on writing. The day before, I worked on teaching prep and grading. In my (finished) basement, I’ve a box of family photos and genealogy materials that I need to sort and place some of that material online. There is always much to do, and it may be better to set a task aside for a while (unless your boss or other circumstances demand otherwise) rather than to "half ass" it.

The story of Mary and Martha always comes to mind with regard to work and tasks. But today, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23 came to mind instead. Paul writes about accommodating his work to different people and circumstances in order to maximize the possibilities of sharing the gospel. Not all our own work may be explicit evangelization, as Paul discusses there. But as we serve the Lord and turn over our many projects to God's guidance, who knows how the Holy Spirit may use the (many) things we do to touch other people’s lives for the Lord?  The Spirit may also help us discern what are the most pressing tasks for the moment.