Seeking Him...

I've been thinking a lot about priorities lately.  For quite some time actually.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you."

How do we "seek His Kingdom first" and still get everything done here on earth?  That's been my question.  The answer I've come to is to line up my priorities..

Priority as defined by Webster is:

-superiority in rank, position, or privilege 

-a preferential rating; esp : one that allocates rights to goods and services usually in limited supply

-something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives

My goods and services are my time and attention and that time is almost always limited in supply.  
We all have the same 24 hours in each day, it's all in what we choose to allocate to that time.

I've always looked at things in list form when possible, just because that is the way my brain functions best.  So here is my list...it's one Chris and I came up with this summer as we put together a mission statement for our family.

First.  GOD.  

Seems obvious, but I've had seasons in life, when HE has slid down the list and before I know it, I've not had a good conversation with Him in weeks.  Maybe busy-ness has taken over and there is a thick layer of dust that has settled on my Bible.

I have chosen to make HIM my first priority.  Daily.  This fall I was part of the Hello Mornings Challenge, with a Twitter accountability group.  It was great.  Every so often, if I didn't check in, someone came looking for me, and I returned the favor...it's a great community.

I see this as such a huge thing because not only am I starting my day right, with the Word and prayer, but I am modeling it for my teenagers, who believe me...are watching everything!

Second.  ME.

This may not seem quite as obvious.  And to be honest, I struggle with it.  It seems narcisitic to me to put emphasis and focus on me.  I'm not talking about perpetual shopping sprees, manicures and pedicures.  

I'm talking about health and exercise, creativity, reading, hobbies, etc.  Things I like to do.  

I'm trying very hard to make time for these things in my life.  It's hard, because as a mom, your needs get shoved to the back burner when other "more urgent" things need your attention.

BUT, if we aren't taking care of ourselves physically, what happens?  We get tired and sick.  What happens when we don't stretch our brains and our creativity, expanding our horizons?  We get overwhelmed and weary in the process.  C'mon moms...we have to look after ourselves before we are any use to those God has given us charge over. {preaching to myself here...}

Third. FAMILY. 
No matter how we shake it out, our family is our priority.  It's two-fold.  Our marriage and then our children.  If our marriage isn't strong and providing an example to our kids, then what?  And if we aren't sowing daily into the lives of our children, who will?

Fourth.  CHURCH.

This one gets a little fuzzy for me, as I work at the church, so I spend a lot more time in the church than your average person.  But I'm coming to realize my view on this one has be askew...I've seen the church as a building.  Because that's what we call it...the church.  

But Jesus - whenever He went anywhere said, "the Kingdom of God is at hand..."  We carry Him, so shouldn't the church go with us?  When we go to the store or the library, shouldn't the church go too?

Now, we operate as usher, trustee, security, Sunday school teacher, and life group leaders, on top of my administrative position, so we have some influence on people's lives.  That's the church I'm really referring to here.  

Fifth.  WORK.

Again, the fuzziness, because of the working at the church thing.  But, my husband owns a business, and that needs attention.  He needs to spend time working the business...you because we like to eat and stuff.  And I am working this blog thing.

But what happens if work/blog rises to the top of the list?  Would that be at the expense of family time? or church responsibilities?  There are seasons, don't get me wrong, when work rises to the top for a short time because of special circumstances.  But it shouldn't be the norm.

Sixth.  EVERYTHING ELSE.

I don't get here very often.  Not really sure what qualifies, except for those things that don't fit anywhere else.  Basically if it doesn't fit in the other categories, then it's probably not going to get a whole lot of attention.

Those are my thoughts.  With two teens, a small business, and tons of commitments, I've really had to put things in perspective so as to not get out of balance in any direction.

Tell me - do you struggle with priorities and balancing your world?

Honored to be Linking up with:
Wifey Wednesday
WIP Wednesday