Choosing Not to!

Everything is permissible — but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible — but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. –1 Corinthians 10:23-24

To persevere and keep our eyes focused on the most important things in our lives, we have to stay focused on our priorities. If we are too busy spinning plates and running from one urgent matter to the next, we will lose our way. Some of the finest people I know have struggled with their parenting or relationships -not because they didn’t have the proper priorities- but because they were too distracted and busy to live by their priorities. Way too often, we get distracted with the nonessentials and let the most important things slip by.

I heard about the wisdom Jack Hayford, a Christian leader worldwide for forty years basically a Christian hero, passed along one year at a Promise Keepers pastors’ conference at Arizona’s Diamondback Stadium. Jack was the ”Pastor of Ceremonies.” Before taking the podium, he was asked, ”Jack, what is your secret to longevity in leadership?” Hayford’s answer. ”It’s not what I have chosen to do, it’s what I have chosen not to do.”

In other words, Hayford has tried to keep his life from being too cluttered. He has put first things first. Isn’t that great advice for all of us?

Putting first things first means facing some tough choices. There are many good, and even great issues, activities, and causes that we can choose to invest our time in (even spiritual ones!), but good things can result in keeping us from maintaining and strengthening our most important relationships.

When we get too busy, we tend to skim relationally, and in so doing, those people who are most important to us end up with our leftovers in terms of time, attention, and emotions. When we get too busy, our relationships suffer.

Today, I encourage you to take a few moments to reflect on your life, your schedule, and your relationships. Choose to seek balance in your life. Choose to put first things first. Choose not to!

Blessings,

Thora