Inbox vs. Sandbox: Finding Delight in Your To-Do List
“The valiant one whose steps are guided by the Lord, who will delight in his way, may stumble, but he will never fall, for the Lord holds his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
A wasp cast a wild, spiky shadow that shot out three times its length against the white deck in the stark November sun. I grabbed my Nikon, crouched, and zoomed in to document the shadow’s striking outline.
Later that day, as fluffy clouds schoonered across an ultramarine sky, the Nikon captured the shining glory of it.
Surprised by Delight
Like a photo coming into focus, I came to see that moments behind the camera are moments of delight. Moments in which the vastness of eternity—life beyond time—wink at me through the created world.
I felt like I had stepped out of my anxious inbox and into the delight of God’s sandbox.
Delight is hanging out with God by sharing a pure spark of Him in His creation, by enjoying Him through the stark shadow of a wasp or a cloud against clear blue.
Then, I asked myself a question.
How does delight in God relate to my to-do list? Why do the worlds of delight and gotta-get-it-done seem so far apart?
How do I bring delight into my gotta-dos?
Self-Will vs. God’s Will
Pope St. Paul VI’s Lumen Gentium (LG) gives us a clue: “The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace …by God’s gift, they must hold onto and complete in their lives this holiness they have receive … .and to possess the fruit of the Spirit in holiness.”
In other words, it’s job No. 1 to remember that we don’t run the universe and that checking in with God’s purpose brings peace, while anxiety comes from following my own will.
Magisterium to the Rescue
Below are three ways LG helps us to stay in the sandbox and out of worry:
1. “The one People of God…is a Kingdom whose nature is not earthly but heavenly.”
In other words, the ultimate meaning and purpose of our work is outside of time. We can practice living it out by building a habit of asking God for guidance when we begin a new task. This practice increases our confidence that we’re on the right track and decreases anxiety.
2. The Church reminds us that our work-a-day mission is crucial and irreplaceable.
“By reason of their special vocation it belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will … in each and every work and business of the earth and in the ordinary circumstances of social and family life…. they are called by God that, being led by the spirit…they may contribute to the sanctification of the world, as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties.”
Believing that we are leaven in the world can bring a lightness to our everyday tasks—if we see them through God’s eyes. We can be tempted to see only the soil beneath us as we plow the field, but He invites us to look up at our exalted calling and feel delight in our unity with Him, as we trust Him to bring in the harvest.
3. LG quotes Matthew 28:20: “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
It takes only a moment to cast our heart to God, thanking Him for giving us our work and asking Him to show us the delight in it. After all, the Holy Spirit is the cause of delight. We can take a sip of delight in Him, no matter what field we’re plowing at the moment.
Bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit in work has been unpacked for us by Pope Leo XIII, St. Josemaría Escriva, and contemporary lights like Andreas Widmer and Jeff Schiefelbein. It’s for us to live it out in our unique way.
What’s the Difference?
The sandbox is the freedom of putting our relationship with God first. He runs the universe, and we enjoy our part in His work. And when it’s not fun, we unite ourselves with the Cross—which brings its own kind of deep joy below a layer of sorrow or tedium or frustration.
It’s scary-easy to start worshiping our inbox over God. There’s the idolatry of letting the 10 things in it become our commandments for the day as we edge out God to finish them on time.
Delight vividly expresses the joy God wants to give us. He invites us to, in a way, step out of time and play in His sandbox. He invites us at every moment to remember that He’s “got this”—and we can live each moment not as a way of meeting a deadline but as a way to help Him build up His kingdom on earth and in our soul.
Rose Folsom is a Lay Dominican and entrepreneur who helps Catholics ditch anxiety and overwhelm with her proven process that connects them to God in a personal and lasting way, giving them the peace and clarity to take their career and home life to a whole new level.