The Things That Matter Most

In this day and age there are so many things pulling our attention, our affection, our energy, and ultimately our most valuable asset, our time.  We’ve got countless amounts of outlets and inputs with large amounts of information coming in and going out. It’s incredible the number of things we can involve ourselves in nowadays simply because we are so accessible. While this is certainly beneficial it can also get our priorities out of balance. If left unbalanced we begin to respond in the same way to things that matter most as we do to things that don’t or worse, we begin to respond more effectively to things that don’t matter most than the things that do. A good example of this is answering work emails while you’re spending time with your family. This is a common one. I admittedly do this. Now I’m not saying this is bad. I’m saying if left out of balance it can mess with our priorities. If you were asked, “What matters most to you, your family or your job?” Almost all of us would say our family. Yet, we can communicate a very different value through what we actually give our time, energy and attention to.

This is a question we have to constantly ask ourselves. Does this matter the most and if this doesn’t matter the most then how much does it matter and how much of myself does it get? The only thing we have to give to anyone is ourselves. What do you want to give yourself most to? What, and more importantly, who, gets the most of you? These are the questions we have to ask ourselves constantly.

This practice is important for not only prioritizing our relationships but for prioritizing ourselves. We are all born with purpose. We are all born to create. It’s so important for us to prioritize the things in our lives that we are called to and that bring life to us. I believe one of the most untapped resources we have is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, fully God, living on the inside of us. How much do we prioritize our connection to Him? He is God in the earth residing in us. How much potential is there waiting to be utilized if we would connect with the most creative and intelligent being that ever existed who lives right on the inside of us and who’s words lay open before us in bibles? This doesn’t necessarily mean we spend hours in prayer every day. Most days we have responsibilities to tend to but God is calling us to take time to hear from Him and connect with what He is saying and doing in the Earth. This connection to God is what matters the most. It’s the steering wheel to this engine, the rudder to this ship called life. 

I’ve found that as I’m asking myself these questions, to make sure I put what matters most in the very front of my life, it weeds out all the extra stuff I give myself to and puts it back where it belongs in my life. For me those most important things are my connection to Holy Spirit, my husband, my relationships, and my purpose (calling). Everything else gets second, third, and fourth place of importance in my life.  This is certainly a big work in progress but it’s a very worthy task.