Just after the United States withdrew from the Vietnam War in 1975, South Vietnamese families were desperately trying to escape Saigon as Communist forces moved in.
Many escaped by helicopter. Major Bung-Ly and his family did not have that option.
With little time left, Ly squeezed himself, his wife and their five children into a small Cessna and flew out over the South China Sea in dense fog.
He had no radio and very little fuel.
Then he spotted the USS Midway.
It was his only hope.
Ironically, the same helicopters Ly and his family had missed while trying to leave Saigon now filled the carrier’s flight deck.
Sometimes You Have to Clear the Deck
Ly tried three times to get a message to the ship. Each time, he tied a note to an object from the cockpit and dropped it toward the deck.
On the fourth attempt, a crew member found a survival pistol with Ly’s note attached.
“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.”
When Rear Adm. Lawrence Chambers received the message, he faced a difficult decision.
The flight deck was packed with large, expensive UH-1 Huey helicopters. But Ly and his family were running out of time.
Chambers ordered his crew to clear the deck.
Within minutes, helicopters worth millions of dollars were pushed overboard. The crew made room, and Ly landed safely with his family.
Chambers consciously sacrificed something important for something far more important.
What Is Taking Up Your Deck?
That story raises a simple question.
Are we willing to continually clear the decks so we do not miss the far more important opportunities in our own lives?
Do we miss divine appointments because our schedules are too full?
Only God can give us the wisdom to 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 of us have limited time, energy and resources. Yet it always seems easy to add one more commitment or possession to the list.
We recognize how absurd it is to keep piling things on. Still, without a Christ-centered system of thought shaping our decisions, we gradually drift from simplicity to complexity.
The result is predictable.
Our schedules become overbooked. Our possessions demand more attention. Before long, we are overwhelmed, frustrated and confused.
Clutter Is Not Just About Stuff
Without Jesus at the center, we naturally become self-directed and begin aligning ourselves with the surrounding culture.
Conversely, when we practice proactive discipleship and learn to walk in the Spirit, warning bells begin to sound when self-effort takes over.
On our own, it is difficult to establish clear boundaries and recognize when we have crossed them.
We need the Holy Spirit to guide us through the many categories of life.
That includes our schedules, possessions, commitments, ambitions and responsibilities.
We must trust God to protect us from becoming overstretched and overextended. We also need His wisdom to keep our possessions working for us instead of against us.
With an abiding relationship with Christ as our foundation, the Holy Spirit can help us pursue a balanced life.
Without Him, we eventually fall back on our own programs and self-help systems.
Make Room for What Matters Most
Jesus can open our eyes to the things we no longer need.
We serve a God of order, not confusion. When we walk in the Spirit, unnecessary clutter and wasted time become easier to recognize.
Prioritizing life often comes down to prayerfully and methodically removing commitments, distractions and possessions that no longer belong.
As we clear our decks, we create more discretionary time.
That gives us room to build practical systems that improve effectiveness and efficiency in the nonrelational parts of life.
Relationships are different. They were never meant to be optimized like a business process.
But the more streamlined and organized we become in everything else, the more available we can be for people.
Especially our own families.
Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is identify what occupies the deck and decide whether it deserves to stay there.