Prioritization

Prioritization is defined as “the action or process of deciding the relative importance or urgency of a thing or things.” In our lives, we prioritize all sorts of things. Everyday, we make decisions about stuff that will stay with us or go out the door. We often have to make decisions about which relationships we nurture and which ones are less primary. Much of life is spent prioritizing this over that. In our household, for example, my wife Rebecca is better than I am at letting go of stuff. She is good at prioritizing what is essential and what might be merely taking up space.

In our lives as Christians, we are called to prioritize God. God is, of course, not a thing that we prioritize over other things but, rather, the source and essence of all things. In this week’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about the importance of prioritizing God and says that whoever prioritizes their families over God is unable to be a disciple. He says that those who prioritize their possessions over God are unable to be disciples. Prioritizing God is no easy matter. Much of our days is spent caring for our relationships, our stuff and careers or volunteer pursuits. Amid all the details, it is easy to lose track of God in our lives. Easy for the created to lose track of the Creator. Easy to lose track of the fact that our lives continue only due to the grace of God.

I like to think that the prioritization of God is connected to gratitude. When we have God at the top of our priorities, we begin each day from a place of gratitude for life itself. When we can begin each day from a place of gratitude, we begin to relate to people and stuff in a different way. Stuff and people are less likely to be seen as something for us to use or benefit from. It is easier to see the relationships and stuff in our lives as gifts to be stewarded and nurtured. When God is at the top of our priority list, our lives and the world itself are better for it. We can see the needs of others more clearly. We are more likely to share and more likely to forgive.

Today, each of us will fail miserably at putting God first in our lives. We will fall into the old trap of placing ourselves, our families or our stuff in the slot reserved for the Creator. I like to think that part of what makes weekly worship so powerful is its ability to help us prioritize God in our lives. I encourage each of you to continue to ask God to help you prioritize worship. Ask God to help you to prioritize a daily recognition of God in this world and in our neighbors in need.

I share a little prayer for you to pray this week: “Dear God, help me to prioritize you. Help me to place you above all else. Help me to be grateful for all you have created and trust Jesus’s guidance in all my other priorities. Amen.”

 God’s love and peace,

 Pastor Joel

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