Priorities
We are merely moving shadows, and all
our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend
it. – Psalm 39:6
The lines started early yesterday morning. People skipped
turkey and fellowship for the chance at a bargain. Last night was the same.
This morning people rushed out before dawn to snatch up a good price on gifts
and items for themselves.
Come Sunday, people will be too tired to attend
church. They’ll moan and pull the covers up. Church comes too early, they’ll
complain. It’s just too much effort to get dressed and go. Maybe next Sunday.
Or the next. Or maybe they’ll just wait for Christmas Eve. Surely God will
understand.
It’s all about priorities. Shopping, whether for gifts
or for ourselves, has become more important than God. It’s okay to get
defensive when you read that. The truth doesn’t always feel good.
Christmas is no longer about a babe in a manager. It
has nothing much to do with Jesus’ birth and everything to do with retail
sales. We’ve lost sight of what’s important. We celebrate ourselves and our
pocketbooks. We forget it’s not our birthday. We forget that it’s not about us.
Or, maybe, we just don’t care. We are self-involved to
the point that we don’t care what others think or say. We don’t care about what
God wants from us. We’ll do what we want, spend our money the way we choose, and, well, if there’s anything left
over maybe we’ll send it God’s way.
We fill our lives with stuff we don’t need in a vain
effort to fill ourselves up with peace and contentment. It will never work but
it doesn’t stop us from trying again and again. If we just have a little more,
if we just get one more thing or make more money, then we’ll be happy where we
are. Except we’ll never be happy because we’re chasing the wrong thing.
We’re so busy making plans and rushing through life
that we forget what’s important. A sweet friend spent a different kind of
Thanksgiving yesterday. Oh, there was lots of food and plenty of guests. But
she’s no longer interested in the Black Friday sales and the thrill of the
bargain hunt. What changed? Her husband died unexpectantly three months ago.
There’s nothing quite like sudden death to rearrange your priorities.
There’s nothing wrong with a bargain. I like them
myself. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with treating yourself to something
wonderful or buying gifts for those you love. It’s when that becomes
all-consuming, when you forget to be thankful, when you fail to acknowledge
that it all comes from God, that your shopping becomes an idol you worship.
When life ceases to be about God, you’re headed in the
wrong direction. When you find yourself making excuses for not spending time
with Him, you’re focusing the wrong way. Put God first. Put people second. And
place everything else a distant third.
Life is all about priorities. Your actions reveal what
those priorities are. What do your actions say about your priorities? Think
about it.
