Priorities

I love to dig deeper into what a word means, and what I've found for Priorities is as follows:

• the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important than others.

• Priority comes from the word prior, which means to come before something else. A priority is the concern, interest or desire that comes before all others.

• something that is very important and must be dealt with before other things

But what does the Bible tell us regarding priorities?

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

We believe that God must be the first priority of life. We cannot start without turning to the most important, loving God with a passionate heart, from the depth of our soul, with every thought, and with all our strength. This is the great and highest commandment.

There is a lot of talk about priorities these days. Words like "family first," "focus on what matters most," "it's all about getting our priorities straight," "let's make sure our priorities align with our goals," and so on.

Businesses are built on priorities, and nonprofits have their priorities, but what priorities are we really talking about? The ones that will make the most money, the ones that will help the most people?

Jesus says, "The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.

This is so powerful. In all three translations, the message of loving Him with EVERYTHING is made clear, emphasizing the priority of putting Him first. And while we often quickly move on to loving others, let's linger here for a while.

We emphasize the importance of putting first things first, and that is exactly it!

What are you struggling with right now? What are your greatest challenges?

In Matthew 6:33 it is written:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In The Message translation it says: “you’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

So let's prioritize and put first things first. Let's love our God with all that we have - our mind, our soul, and our strength. I am talking to myself as well.

Sit with the Holy Spirit and ask Him What keeps you from being with Him?

List them and then ask what you should do about them.

There will be times when we need to take bold steps, such as limiting phone time, TV shows, and social media, but also the good things. At times we need to limit the good for the better, like another sermon, a worship list, a podcast, socializing, or supporting people. It's harder to let go of the better things. I can already hear the protest for the latter two, but isn’t it written to love your neighbor as yourself? There is no other commandment greater than this one, so I can't reduce the latter, but what if it interferes with the time spent with God? It says there is no greater commandment than these, but it doesn't say that if you do one, you can sacrifice the other.

Be vulnerable with God, and take those courageous steps He asks you to.

Stay connected to the true vine.

Moving on to the next step, but do not rush if you need more time for the first, stay.

I want to highlight "Love your neighbor as yourself. We already looked at "yourself" in another blog post, but who is your closest neighbor? Could it be your spouse, or your family? It's everyone you come in contact with. So they count. Often, our gaze is too wide.

Love your spouse as yourself.

Love your children as yourself.

The family comes next because it is in the family that we first learn about God. Our family is our first mission field, and our children are our first disciples.

Our first disciples, who may not always be obedient, encouraging, compliant, or kind... Maybe that's why we look elsewhere for more submissive and pleasant disciples.

So, let’s ask the Holy Spirit again, what am I prioritizing before my family?

Where do I invest my time, leaving my family waiting?

Where do I lose all my energy and just run on reserve at home?

What is competing for my attention?

Write it all down. Don't let shame and condemnation take hold of you. Avoid the urge to justify it. Instead, let the loving kindness of God wash over you, revealing and convicting.

I've noticed that I often find myself facing a challenging situation with one of my children when I'm feeling drained, discouraged, and stressed. This situation can be small and age-appropriate like a toddler slowly starting to move around and knocking things over. Or my baby's sleep troubles. A child who is extremely shy. A child who bites others. A teenager hanging out with the wrong crowd.

It isn't necessarily the situation itself that drains me, but all the things I prioritize over spending time with my kids. There is no doubt that these phases are exhausting, but when I get my priorities right, I handle them very differently.

What about you?

I may fall into bed exhausted, but I organize my week to maintain my commitment to my family, and not to avoid sacrifices.

Sacrifice is not something we enjoy. Not at all! I'd dare say we enjoy it less than when our parents raised us or I raised our kids.

Investing in something always comes with a cost.

I'm impressed when I hear about athletes adhering to strict meal plans and training while others enjoy leisure time.

There are countless stories of people sacrificing a lot for their passion.

So, the very important first question is: Am I a passionate mom/dad?

Is this my main occupation or a side gig?

What importance does parenthood have for me?

It really makes a difference, because when you're passionate about something, you're willing to make certain sacrifices knowing that it's worth it for the future.

The super important things of today will pale in the face of the harvest of the future.

What is important to you today?

Your sports, your friends, your emails, your cleaning, your cooking, your coffee break, your Facebook, your Instagram, your freedom, your men's group, your mothers' group, ... All of it?

All is well and good, and yes we do need to recharge and have time for ourselves, BUT if they are keeping us from our primary occupation of being a lover of Jesus and Mom and Dad, then we need to take a closer look.

I hope there is no need to address the cliché of putting our children at the center of the universe and dropping everything at their beck and call. That's not the essence of what I'm talking about, and I'm sure our dedicated blog readers already know that.
However, there exists a delicate balance.

Holy Spirit is the best judge of what is healthy for us, ask Him.

I find myself constantly having to take responsibility, make decisions, and stay involved.

If you were to ask my kids what's keeping me from the most important thing, they could tell you exactly what it is :-), and while I continue to work on it, I also acknowledge that many things are improving.

So once again: The important things of today will pale in comparison to the future harvest. Time marches on relentlessly, and I am determined to use it wisely and proactively.

How about you?

I leave you with a powerful quote:

You can't rewrite the beginning, but you can start from where you are and shape the ending - C.S. Lewis