Thank you to sweet Bethany Grove for today’s post! I love her authenticity, don’t you?

As soon as my alarm sounds each morning, my thoughts turn to getting my kids ready for school and, of course, coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Then, the daily to-do list begins to invade my thoughts.

My guess is, you know the drill, too. My list includes checking email, writing blog posts, taking care of Facebook groups, tweets, dinner, getting kids in bed and many more tasks that aren’t necessarily worth mentioning but if left undone, my people will notice.

Your list may not look exactly like mine but it likely includes just as many tasks beckoning for your attention.

But, when my to-do list gets to the point of overflow, life gets to be a little frustrating and I tend to get very distracted.

There’s one problem with this, though. I get so caught up in my to-do list and what I think needs to get done, that I forget what is most important —relationships.

Relationship with my kids.

Relationship with my husband.

Relationship with my friends.

But, most importantly, relationship with God.

I’m quite certain that most of us, when making our to-do list, don’t even consider adding tasks that would help strengthen our relationships with others.

Relationships can be hard, but we make them even harder when we constantly agree to do every project that comes our way without taking the time to slow down and foster our relationships.

We automatically assume that we can cultivate and tend our relationships while still keeping our schedules overwhelmed and busy. But if we don’t nurture our relationships, they’ll die on the vine.

I’ve heard so many say things like “We have technology that helps us keep in touch and connected with others” but . . .  all the technology in the world won’t take the place of a face to face experience.

An over-packed schedule leads to under-packed relationships. It’s not possible to be overscheduled and prioritize our relationships.

Real, authentic-relationships can be messy sometimes, right? There will be times when flaws and imperfections outweigh the commonalties, but I love what Lysa says in chapter 15 of our The Best Yes study this week.

There will always be one more thing to add to your to-do list.

There will always be one more “no” to say.

There will always be someone wanting something from you.

But, when life gets crazy, it’s your friends and family that will help you slow-down and take-in the moments that matter. We were made to have a connection with others. God created us this way and there is nothing more important.

I love how Lysa used the story of Moses and Jethro seated in judgment before the people to show just how much we need to have a connection with others. Sure, when Jethro criticized Moses of how he was running things, Moses could have taken it harshly, but instead, because of the cultivated relationship between the two of them, he took his council to heart and implemented what he suggested.

What an amazing relationship! Don’t we all wish we could look to our in-laws with the reverence that Moses showed towards Jethro?

There is a reason Moses could listen to Jethro’s criticism and not get offended. He slowed down and made the relationship a priority.

We get so busy searching for the next yes that we forget about the unrushed yes. If we cultivate our schedules and not our relationships, which one will flourish? Hint: not the one that matters most.

But how do we find the Unrushed Yeses in a fast-pace world?

Well, in Lysa’s words . . .  “We make it.”

Pretty simple and straight-forward, don’t you think?

I challenge us this week to make time for an “unrushed yes” – how can you prioritize your relationships?

For our discussion this week please answer one or more of the questions below in the comment section:

1. In chapter 15, Lysa talks about one of her favorite sweaters. She loved this delicate sweater, but there came a time when it go snagged and instead of waiting to fix is later, she chose what was easy at the moment and tried to fix it right then. Unhooking the sweater and snipping the snag led to the unraveling of the sweater. She used this example to teach us how friendships work. They must be taken care of and protected.

Has there ever been a friendship in your life where, instead of working through the snag and caring for the sweater, you got snippy and things started to unravel? What did you learn?

2. Moses and Jethro have a wonderful relationship as illustrated in the story Lysa shared. Do you have a similar connection with someone in your life? How would your life be different without the presence of that person?

 3. Lysa shares a quote from Louie Giglio in Chapter Fifteen that says, “Whenever you say yes to something, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your yes is worth the less.” Please share a time where your yes was “worth the less” OR a time where it was not.

4. Did anything else stand-out to you in our chapters this week?