Priorities
Teach us to number our days, that we
may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12
A month ago, their priorities were different. We live
in a world filled with college football and lazy days at the beach. Our lives revolve
around high school sports and band, little league and soccer and dance. Work
and errands and the daily busyness of life rush us along at a rapid pace.
And then the unthinkable happens and our priorities
shift forever. It could be a death. It could be a job loss. It could be a major
hurricane that destroys your world. And suddenly what you thought was important
turns out to be unimportant after all.
We are a people who like to complain about what we don’t
have. We are goal-oriented folks who are always striving for the next
achievement, the next possession, the next thing we think will make us happy.
We’re so focused on future possibilities that we miss today’s blessings.
Oh, we’ve always heard people tell us that. “Stop and
smell the roses,” they say. “Count your blessings,” others add. We know it’s
all true but we don’t actually do any of it. Until we’ve got nothing left.
Today someone’s priority was finding a place to live.
Another person’s priority was diapers for their baby or how their child will
get an education when all the schools are destroyed. Another person wonders how
he’ll survive without his spouse. One person struggles to find a job, any job, just
to keep a roof over his family’s head and food on the table.
Priorities. It all depends on where you’re at in any
given moment.
One woman complained that her husband’s business was
down and she just didn’t know how they were going to afford things. Really? It’s
difficult to have sympathy for someone who lives in an affluent neighborhood,
always drives a new car, eats out several times a week and doesn’t work. Her
priority is maintaining her lifestyle. She’s never done without, she’s never
truly suffered, so her priorities are different from those who have known those
things.
There’s a good side to horrible things. Your
priorities shift and you come to understand what really matters. Do you remember
how Jesus told Martha, who was bustling around preparing a meal, that Mary knew
what was really important? Why don’t we realize He was talking to us too?
Spending time with God each day should be our priority.
It’s the most important time of our day. And, yet, we act as though everything
else is more important.
We always plan to spend more time with people we love.
We vow to volunteer one day. Maybe we’ve got a list of things we’d like to do.
One day. Why not today?
What would happen if you gave up a Saturday and volunteered
with Habitat for Humanity to help build a house? What would happen if you
invited an elderly neighbor over to your home for a meal? What would happen if
you turned off your phone and went outside and played with your kids?
Be present today. Put God first and the people He
loves right after that. Take time to laugh. Be grateful for the small things.
Smile often. Be kind. This world can be hard and cruel. Be the light. Show the
world what really matters.
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