Been thinking about … priorities

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how busy our world is in which we live.

For me, July was an incredibly busy month, and although August seems like it will be less so, I’m sure it will come with its own challenges that I have yet to discover.

If you’re like me, there is not enough time to get done everything that needs to be done. That’s why we choose the things which are most important, and that’s not as easy to do as it sounds. Why not? It’s not usually a matter of setting aside the non-important. We are by and large good living people – whatever we do is good and important.

That’s when setting priorities gets a little more tricky. Both our family and our job want us on a certain day. What do we do? Does it make a difference if it is a job we have just to pay the bills or if it is a career job? Do we have pass times that are extremely important to us? I play guitar and sing in many gospel sings on weekends. Some may feel that’s a pastime, but to me that’s an important part of my ministry.

Taking time out for ourselves is also important. We all need rest, relaxation and fun – to recharge our batteries from time to time. Going for a drive or even blowing bubbles can give an important mental break from the world at times.

We were always taught growing up how important it was to make a relationship with God a priority. Timer spent with Him, reading His Word or praying or meditating, just worshipping Him. I hear from many who are so busy in their lives that it is difficult for them to maintain as much time with Him as they would like, but it is so very important.

So the reason setting priorities is so difficult is because it’s generally not choosing between good or bad things, but rather between two or three good things, which each demand our attention. Sometimes we allow the tyranny of the urgent to drown out what is really important in our lives. I encourage everyone to call on God to give us discernment and help us set the right priorities, and also to make having a relationship with His son Jesus our highest priority.

Have a blessed summer. Be good to each other. Have a great week.