Just after the United States withdrew from the Vietnam War in 1975, the South Vietnamese were frantically trying to escape Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) as Communist forces advanced. Many people fled by helicopters, but this wasn’t an option for Major Bung-Ly and his family.
With no time to spare, Ly squeezed himself, his wife, and their five children into a single-seat Cessna and flew out over the South China Sea in dense fog. Spotting the USS Midway in the distance, Ly saw it as their only hope. Ironically, the very helicopters he missed in their initial attempt to escape Saigon filled the flight deck.
On three attempts, Ly tied notes to objects in the cockpit and dropped them onto the deck, but to no avail. Thankfully, on the fourth try, a Midway crew member spotted a survival pistol with an attached note reading, “Can you move these helicopters to the other side? I can land on your runway. I can fly one hour more, we have enough time to move. Please rescue me, Major Bung-Ly, wife and 5 children.”
Upon receiving the message, Rear Admiral Chambers immediately ordered his crew to clear the decks, despite the presence of $10 million worth of helicopters. Within minutes, the decks were cleared, and Ly and his family landed safely.
This story holds a powerful lesson. The admiral prepared for action by “clearing the decks,” sacrificing something significant for something far more important.
Are we willing to continually clear the decks to avoid missing out on crucial opportunities in our lives? Do we overlook divine appointments because our schedules are too full?
Only God can grant us the wisdom necessary to consistently practice good stewardship, keep our decks clear, and eliminate unnecessary “opportunity costs.”
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
Most men have limited time, energy, and resources. Yet, it often seems easy to add just one more commitment or possession to our lists. We recognize how absurd it is to keep piling on, but without a Christ-centered system of thought to shape our decisions, we gradually drift from simplicity to complexity. The inevitable outcome is overbooked schedules and numerous expensive possessions to manage, leading to overwhelm, frustration, and confusion.
Without Jesus at the center, we become, by default, self-directed and aligned with the surrounding culture. Conversely, when we practice proactive discipleship and walk in the Spirit, warning bells go off as God guards us from self-effort—the primary impetus for sin and struggle and the biggest barrier to spiritual effectiveness.
On our own, it’s challenging to establish clear boundaries and pinpoint when lines are crossed. We desperately need the Holy Spirit’s continuous guidance to manage life’s many categories.
We must trust God to protect us against overstretched and overextended lives, and having our possessions working against us rather than for us. With a 24/7 abiding relationship as our foundation, the Holy Spirit empowers us to achieve balanced lives. Without Him, we are stripped of power and relegated to man’s programs and self-help tools.
Jesus opens our spiritual eyes and helps us identify and purge unnecessary and unimportant things. We should also remember that we serve a God of order, not confusion, so when we walk in the Spirit, superfluous clutter and wasted time become obvious.
Essentially, prioritizing our life comes down to prayerfully and methodically removing unnecessary clutter, commitments, and distractions through abiding. As our decks are regularly cleared, we have more discretionary time. This enables us to set up practical systems that help us achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency in the non-relational aspects of our lives. Relationships are never intended to be efficient. But as we grow more streamlined and organized in our non-relational pursuits, we become more available and effective in sharing the love of Christ with others—especially in our families and close relationships.