Recently, a client of mine decided she needed to “limit her accessibility.” This was prompted by a phone call – one that she took but wished she hadn’t. She thought she was taking a call from her doctor but instead the caller was asking for her assistance. The frustration she felt after taking the call made her think about how she wanted to limit her availability to others. She recognized that interruptions by phone, email, text and Facebook, were getting in the way of focusing on her clear priorities. She wondered under what circumstances she would limit accessibility; she wanted to be available when people truly needed her. It was important to her to consider this prayerfully and seek scriptural examples.
Her situation reminded me of a time several years ago when a potential client called me to investigate coaching with me. He talked about how he needed to better manage his schedule. He was a pastor with a speaking ministry who traveled from place to place. He was having a hard time managing all his calls. He gave his cell phone number to those he worked with and ministered to. I learned he gave his number to just about everyone he met.
I asked this potential client a question that, of course, I didn’t have an answer for – but I was curious. I asked him how he thought Jesus would manage a cell phone. After a few moments of dead silence, he began to laugh. His laughter continued and he started to sound relieved. “Well I hadn’t thought about that!” he said, as he began to consider the possibilities.
Hmm…what are the possibilities? You have your own answers. I will share more of my thoughts in my next post.