Priorities

There’s nothing like an approaching new year for bringing out our best aspirations. Somehow everything seems doable when it’s written under a “Goals for the New Year” heading! And there’s nothing like an over-committed, unreasonable list of goals for deflating the very enthusiasm with which we made those goals.

Have you ever found yourself thinking: “I wish I had more time?” When flying back home from the East Coast, I have sometimes had the ridiculous notion—“This is going to be an awesome day! I gain three hours flying home. I have twenty-seven hours today to get everything done.”

I hope you’ve made time over the past week or so to prayerfully evaluate needed areas of growth in your life and set some goals for this New Year. Setting goals, however, is the easy part; living them out in day-sized pieces over the coming year is the challenge.

There’s nothing like a new year to renew our passion for growth and excellence. I think, however, that in our haste to set new goals sometimes we miss careful evaluation of where we’re really at currently in some of the key areas of life.

Several weeks ago a devastating storm ripped through our city. Over 1,000 houses were destroyed, and tragically, four lives were lost. I was out of town for a youth rally when the messages began lighting up my phone. Church members were asking if we were okay.

A new year is a fresh start. And a fresh start is a great time to reset your priorities. What’s really important? And what’s just preferred? I would suggest seven areas of importance that you would consider and work into your routines in this coming year:

It’s a strange thing about Christmas. We celebrate Jesus’ birth, and we use the celebration to further our efforts in sharing the gospel. But somehow we seem to easily lose focus this time of year more than any other.

I don’t know if your life is like mine, but I find that time is moving at breakneck speed. I hardly get a new week started when it seems like the week is over and I am looking at a new week. They say that time moves quicker the older you get. I don’t know why that is, but it certainly seems true.

One of the most apparent truths about spiritual renewal is that it reorders our priorities. Simply put, God does not renew us to live for ourselves but to live for eternity.

One of the most used phrases when making excuses for not doing something is, “I don’t have time.” That is never true. We all have the same amount of time. In this area we are all equal. We all have 24 hours every day and 60 minutes in each hour. We must learn to prioritize our time. When I say, “I don’t have time,” what I am really saying is, “This is not a high priority with me.”

You can’t miss the urgency and passion with which Jesus carried out His ministry. Throughout His life on Earth, He was busy about the Father’s business. As young as a twelve-year-old He said, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).

I’m going to postulate about your weekly schedule: it is too full. And I’m going to make another assumption: there is something you are regularly doing that can be removed. Am I accurate? If I was accurate on the first point, I can guarantee you that I’m accurate on the second. (If you’re not convinced, keep reading.)

March 7, 2012—it was the beginning highlight for what would become the delight of my year. That evening, I had the joy to begin leading a young Christian through our church’s formal discipleship program.

It’s staggering to contemplate the demands placed on Jesus’ life. Not only did He come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), but He was continually sought out by the multitudes. Naturally, once you heal a blind man and cleanse a leper, you’re pretty much in high demand!

Recently, on a Saturday morning, I went soulwinning with my three-year-old daughter, Annalene. As we knocked doors, she asked if her job could be to carry the tracts. After she managed carrying the tracts, she asked if she could ring the “ding bells” at each door.

During suffering, realities of life change our perspective on priorities. Suddenly, the trivial and petty things that used to mean so much to us, mean almost nothing. Through these times, God refocuses our vision and realigns our priorities with His.

Summer is one of the best times for making memories and becoming more productive. The longer evening hours make for great family and ministry time, and the changes in our routines that happen around this time of year, are the perfect opportunity to take a fresh look at our goals and plan our priorities.