What is new is that we are set free from the compulsions of our world and have set our hearts on the only necessary thing. -Henri J.M. Nouwen
Business and worries are enemies of the spiritual life, but what are we to do? Jesus is a realist. He doesn’t demand that we drop our commitments and stop caring about our needs; but to change our center of gravity.
There is a deep truth at work: If we put first things first, the rest will fall into place.
When you find your mind reeling with fear for yourself or another, concentrate not on the what-if’s but on the what-are’s and seek first:
- The one reign that matters
- The one reason you were made
- The one hope that cannot die
- The one love that will not fail
- The one joy outlasting the rest.
Make the kingdom of God your primary concern and the other things, that God already knows you need, will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Could it be that simple? Do we dare loosen ourselves from the paralyzing grip of dread?
Worry Bowl
I am not by nature a worrier. But sometimes problems stack up, circling restlessly overhead, and I freeze. I am too small and inept to ensure a safe landing for the people I love.
So, I have a worry bowl. Folded inside are slips of paper, the names and needs I turn over with relief to the One, whose timing and wisdom are perfectly suited for the task.
When I empty the bowl on occasion, I am amazed at what I find.
What do you do to keep worry in its place?
4 replies on “First Things First”
I stop and sing to myself “Jesus Loves Me”. It helps turn my focus to Him and is calming!
Thanks, Julie–I will try that, and “Jesus loves ________,” since my worrying is usually about others.
Janet, Kirkegaard, Meister Eckhart, Hildegard von Bingen and a host of others would be proud of this! I’ve always preferred a terminology more on the center of gravity than priorities. The former has God at the center of all things. The latter places God at the top of a long list of “to dos” rather than the “to be” reference of the former.
Great point! It makes me wonder what Jesus meant by “first.” Perhaps he wasn’t thinking as mathematically as we might.