Make it a Priority!

I step out on the porch, look around and inhale deeply. Everything is a beautiful lime green, and the world smells like honeysuckle. No wonder it's my favorite time of year! One of my favorite things to do during the cool mornings is to take my coffee to the porch and listen to the birds sing, watch the squirrels play chase, and to think about the possibility that the new day holds. A fresh start, a new beginning. I can do ANYTHING during this time of planning, and accomplish all that I intend to do, because, well, because I haven't started any of it yet! And because the distractions of the day have not yet begun to invade my peace of mind. When I get out of that chair and put my coffee cup in the dishwasher and embark upon that first task, that's when the challenges start. The distractions invade, willpower diminishes, and of course the hours in the day just fade away. One phone call can set me back at least an hour! And goodness knows, it's NOT just one phone call a day I get. TGFT! (Thank God for texting)I have learned to text while stirring a pot of beans, loading the dishwasher, folding clothes, and while using the....oh. Never mind. Anyway, I run through the living room, grabbing things up that don't belong and tossing them into the rooms of the owners, dash into the bathrooms to swish the toilets and grab a load of laundry. Make up my bed since I was in too big of a hurry when I rolled out of bed to get to the coffee pot ( since its cheap and ANCIENT and drips at approximately 10 dpm (drips per minute) Now the kids need this, or that and of course, we don't have any on hand, so I have to run them down to the store, and by the time I get back, its time to fix lunch. Once lunch is over I have to clean the kitchen again, and whaddaya know. An hour and a half before hubby gets home and I haven't even laid anything out for supper. I'm TIRED already! All of this for me on the weekends, or during the summer, because I work during the week (as do most of you) and I don't get the luxury of getting all of my chores done early. Our "homelife" starts at 3:30, or 5 or 5:30. Later for some of us. It's hard to get everything done, and sometimes seems nearly impossible. Life is busy. So busy that weeks fly by like minutes, and months like a day. Most days I wonder how I can be of any help at all to my husband, or my children because I'm so stressed and zapped from my day at work and I go to bed at night feeling unaccomplished. I needed to do more, to be more. I pray and ask God to show me how I can be what He needs me to be in the midst of my crazy busy life. He always answers us. Sometimes in unexpected ways, with unexpected answers. Let's look at our spiritual life the same way. We get up, knowing the first thing we should do is read our bible, do our devotions, pray. But I really need that coffee, so I'll get that going first, you know...because of the whole 10 dpm thing, and since I'm here, I need to swap over that laundry real fast so it doesn't sour in the washer. Oh, I almost forgot,I need to throw some chicken in the slow cooker. Before you know it, it's 7:30, and if you don't get ready now,you're going to be late for work. Devotions will have to wait til this evening. Then you get home, and do I really even need to go there? We all know how evenings at home after work are. By the time your head hits the pillow, your eyes are already closed, and before you fall asleep, you mumble in your mind, "Dear Lord, thank You for a good day, and all your many blessings, in Jesus' Name, Amen." 1 day down. Like anything, the longer you go without doing something, the harder it gets to get back into the normal swing of things. When we neglect the Word, and prayer, it makes a noticeable difference in our lives. Our patience is shorter, moods are grumpy,the feeling of peacefulness isn't as obvious. We start to feel like the Lord is away on vacation, instead of right beside us, holding our hand. Feelings of jealousy or envy begin to creep in where before there was no room for them. We find ourselves making excuses instead of executing a plan. When it comes to our home lives, we make a list of things to do. On that list, we have chores. Normally, chores are a drudgery. BUT, chores get done. Prayer and bible reading should be on that list. We shouldn't look at it as a drudgery, but as something that not only needs to be done, but HAS to be done. Make it #1 on your chore list. Before long, it's not a chore. It's the best part, and the most important part of your day. All of a sudden, the Lord is back beside you (where He's always been, but your mind got so far away from Him, you couldn't see Him) and those thoughts that crept in have taken a hike. You're back on track because you figured out in your busy life that prioritizing is a MUST. In every aspect of life. Keeping a clean house includes prioritizing a list. Having meals planned out, grocery list done, everything in a daily, weekly, or monthly routine should be prioritized. Without this essential step, distractions take us away from the goal. The first and top,most important priority of every day should be, has GOT to be God. Face it, you will make time to get everything else done. It seems like time with God is the only compromise, so get that done first thing, then it's done, you feel great, refreshed, now start your day and get everything accomplished. If one things gets left out, at least it's not God. When God is part of your day, you truly can be Superwoman. Let's go back to the beginning: I sit on the porch with my cup of coffee, looking around at God's beautiful creations enjoying the cool morning air. My Bible lays on the table, still open from my morning devotion. I have spent time with God in prayer. I know it's getting late and I need to get the kids up, but this is my favorite part of the day! Just one more minute to breathe in the scent of honeysuckle vines, to reflect on God, and His goodness. Now, I'm ready. I get the slow cooker going, swap over that laundry, get the kids up, can't make up the bed, because dear hubby is still in it, but that's not important. It's just a bed, doesn't change anything if it doesn't get made! It's not at the top of my priority list ;)