The Reboot Day 3 – When Life Becomes Worship (On Priorities)

Jun 062012

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

In the original 31 Days to Clean, I made a list of priorities. It went something like this:

1.God

2. Husband

3. Children

4. Me

5. Housework

6. Ministry

I would look at my list and I would think, “Okay, number one is God, I’ve got to my spiritual life down. Then I’ll focus on my marriage and get that down…” Etc. The problem with this thinking of course (now I know) is that life undulates, and it meshes together. I can’t separate areas in my life and dedicate all my energy and focus on that area in a ranking order. Life is sort of like juggling; I can’t focus on one ball or all the others will drop. At the same time, juggling isn’t really my thing. The good news is, God doesn’t ask me to juggle my life; He doesn’t ask me to keep each individual ball in the air. He asks me to focus on Him, as a lifestyle, and then everything else will be added to me.

I’ve stopped thinking in terms of priorities. I now think about going through my days in faith, seeking His wisdom and guidance and being willing to follow.

I don’t have to strive or try and get it all right, I just have to trust that the Holy Spirit is working in me as I lean into Him and obey. As I lose myself in Him, as I unbecome, He does.

And life becomes worship.

Today’s Challenges

Mary Challenge: Write out your priority list, or find one that you have and then write at the top, “All of life is worship to God” and put all your priorities on one line underneath. Put this somewhere that you can see as a reminder that when you seek first the kingdom, everything else will be added.

Martha Challenge: Today is a catch up day. If you have more to do on your closet or in your dresser drawers, take today to do that. For those of you who don’t need more time, your challenge is begin cleaning out underneath your bed. You heard correct. We’re going there. Good “luck!”

How do you manage your priorities?

Find each days post and the link-up here.

Click the above button to link-up your blog and see others who have joined the challenge!

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Posted on:June 6, 2012 Homemaking Add comments

Rosann

Seek first His Kingdom…what a great answer to prioritizing life. I too, feel like I’m doing a constant juggling act. Unfortunately, I do drop many of the balls all too often. Always striving to get it right. Aren’t we all?

Busymomof10

Love your perspective! Gives me something to ponder for sure . . .

http://www.lessonsfromivy.com/ KMLogan

My top priorities are the same as yours but right now for me housework and ministry/earning an income are on the same level. This is a need for our family at the moment and means my windows will get streaky and stay that way. I don’t put housework below it because it is a need to keep a sanitary and safe house for my little ones. Deep cleaning………..not so much. I try to keep my house company clean, but don’t have time to keep it Mother in Law clean.
http://www.jenwagenmaker.blogspot.com/ Jennifer Wagenmaker

Beautiful post!
I love what colossians 3:3 says – For you (me) died, and now my life is hidden with Christ in God.
When I feel overwhelmed with my list of things to do and how to prioritize them, I am reminded that my life is now hidden in Christ so now all that I really have to do is yield myself over to Him so that He can do what needs to be done in my life.
This reminder makes my load light and instantly I feel FREE!
Michigannewcomer

Love this! Been focusing on this a lot lately. My question is where do other relationships fit in? I am fairly new to the town we live in (relocation). I am in the season of life with littles (1.5 and 4) and we are planning to add another. We are starting to homeschool in the fall. Between that, taking care of my household, quiet time, husband and taking care of the children, there seems to be little time left to develop friendships. It doesn’t bother me generally because I’m certainy busy but I know we aren’t meant to do life alone and often think of Sally Clarkson’s quote about being a target for Satan. Thoughts? Thanks for all you do!

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

Developing friendships is important, or having an advocate, a mentor, someone you can talk to. I know some seasons are just too difficult for consistant, in-person friendships, but if you have someone you can talk on the phone with regularly, that really helps!

Lisa

Interesting thought. I agree and I disagree. I’m with you on the concept that all of life is worship to God. Each moment. Each action. Each step. Each act of service needs to be in worship to God. Yet that doesn’t preclude priorities, which in my understanding is a another word for order.

To prioritize means to place in order. It is process, an ideal, but should not become a set of rule keeping boundaries. As I look at the Scriptures, God illustrates order and process for us, which we can see that in Creation, the building of the Tabernacle, and in the life of Jesus. Even this morning, in reading Numbers 9 and 10, I was struck by the way Israelites followed the pillar of cloud. God had an order for them, even if they didn’t understand it. They moved when the cloud moved. They stayed when it stayed. There was order, direction, purposeful response. The priority was God and His directive.

I think God wants us to live that way, too, by keeping perspective and a messy-grace-needing-pulse on all the things we are both responsible for and strive to accomplish in a given day. To put God first on the priority list is consistent with the Scripture to seek first the kingdom of God. In order for the rest of our relationships and responsibilities to fall into His priorities, we must first seek Him. It is a healthy way to strive for balance and focus, not perfection and rule keeping. This is where a priority list can sometimes implode. But if it start and ends with the seeking of God and a desire to co-labor with Him in the work at hand, then by grace, our days will fall into place as a spiritual act of worship. Likely, not how we envisioned, but yet with His purposes at work.

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

Yep, I completely understand where you’re coming from. Especially this: “God had an order for them, even if they didn’t understand it. They moved when the cloud moved. They stayed when it stayed.” To me, this is walking by faith.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1367062260 Jennifer Ross

Priorities… exactly what I’ve been thinking of lately! Managing them is of course fighting against the tyranny of the urgent It’s summer time and we are taking the month of June off school to garden and do some spring cleaning, and your challenges! I’m hopeful to get a schedule in place in the next few months that will help with managing priorites, especially since we have a new baby due in September!
http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.busenitz Rebecca Busenitz

This is so good. It really helped me this morning to put all my priorities in a horizontal line, and simply write “All of life is worship to God” at the top. Sometimes my priorities just don’t fall where they should. Sometimes it’s impossible to give our marriage the time it needs. We have 3 kids, 3 and under. Life just doesn’t work the way we plan. God is faithful, though, and He does the impossible.
http://www.vanillahousewife.co.uk/ Vanilla Housewife

I work better when I have goals or priorities to aim for, but I’m realising more and more that some days need to be more flexible than others. There are times when one priority needs more work and that’s fine – I’m telling myself that it will all balance out in the end, and taking a long-term view rather than the short-term.
DianeShiffer

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 …. I’m finally realizing this in my own life, finally letting things fall into the places that He has ordained, instead of the places where I think they “should” be. Oh my, life is so much easier this way! It’s only taken me 50 years to get here;-)

I’ve gotta say, you’re awfully smart for being such a young thing.
Kristine McGuire

This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, but not quite in this way. Thank you for a fresh new perspective on living our worship.
Megan Mattinson

Thanks so much for the Reboot Challenge! I’m currently one month into being a mommy of four and my house is beginning to look MORE organized on less sleep. haha! I love your post today. Sometimes I feel like all I do is feed kids, clean the house and hang with the hubby. But that can be worship if I do it for God’s glory. Also, my perspective is that priorities really come into play when we have to choose which thing we have time for in a conflict. So it’s not that I focus on only one thing, but if I only have time for one more thing in my day, I choose based on what is a higher priority. At least, I would in a perfect world. Thanks again!
http://thirtythreemom.com/ Heather

I love this….so much… Matthew Chapter 6 is my absolute favorite….as someone who has struggled with anxiety it especially speaks to me. My blog is named after this very verse.

Thank you for doing the reboot, and your incredible ministry to women.
Rebecca

So glad to have a catch up day!
Kristen Carrier

So glad I have drawers under my bed!! ~Kristen @ Trial & Error Homemaking

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

Ha! You’re off the hook!

http://www.frugalfamilyhome.com/ Shelly @ Frugal Family Home

Managing my priorities is something I am working on right now. I sometimes have to let a few things go that I planned for the day so I can help my daughter finish her knitting or play a game with my son. It is so easy to get caught up in the have to do’s. Just the other day my son asked if he could come with me to take the dogs out. I just wanted to get outside and then back in to do other things I needed to do so I said not today. The disappointment on his face made me change my mind and both the kids came outside we looked over how our garden is growing and both the kids were very happy. I have to remember that I don’t always minister to my family by doing for them but doing with them. I am really seeing how much I needed these challenges. Thanks so much.
http://www.italianlane.com/ Michelle

I love this. I am a list person, and I subconsciously compartmentalize each aspect of life. If I concentrate on one area, then I get frustrated because other areas are chaotic and not ‘together’. And it’s this cycle of being up and down. But life isn’t that clean and orderly, like you said! It’s all jumbled. And when I realize this, and keep my focus on Him, rather than everything else, the day seems smoother, even when it doesn’t turn out like I had hoped or planned. Thanks for this reminder, Sarah.
http://www.discoveringtogether.com Eyvonne

I love the idea of “unbecoming.” So much of following Christ is unlearning the things we once believed about the world, about God, about ourselves.

Here’s to the process of “unbecoming!”

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

I got that phrase from Jeff Goins (goinswriter.com) and I love it!

http://www.discoveringtogether.com Eyvonne

Oh.. I’ve been reading him too and missed that one. Glad you caught it and shared it!

http://caroleasmith.blogspot.com/ Carole Smith

the dust bunnies are NOT going to be happy!

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

{giggle}

Pamela

I am doing both challenges at the same time. I just wrote out my list of priorities yesterday. I actually cleaned out from underneath my bed a few wks. ago but I will look and do it again today. I am also working on my “Six List”. I already got two done, taking a break have to nurse baby. My computer time is when I am nursing get two things done at once

Sometimes I feel like I am juggling and I am always dropping balls. I love what you said, “The good news is, God doesn’t ask me to juggle my life; He doesn’t ask me to keep each individual ball in the air. He asks me to focus on Him, as a lifestyle, and then everything else will be added to me. “
http://medievalchristianreflections.blogspot.com/ Michelle

Were you reading my blog drafts!? Seriously, Sarah Mae, I guess I have no need to post it :p

I had struggled with the same thing. The problem with this mentality is that God is minimized since we are called to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. We can’t do this if we see Him in light of a mere check-list.

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

You caught me.

http://www.zayth.com/ Melissa Vandermeer

Wow…you just blew my priority list right out of the water. My priority list looks just like yours (old one) and I actually went as far as to make a “Priority Schedule” for my day. What an amazing epiphany I just had. Thank you so much for this amazing post. I’ve already got my new priority list…in one line…on my mirror. xo
Beth Williams

My priority list looks just like yours without the children. I’m trying to make a lifestyle of taking everyday jobs/priorities & turning them into an act of worship to God!

It isn’t always easy to see God in the everyday mundane tasks of life, but if we view each task as an act of worship to God then it makes it easier to do.
Vince and Lillian Gimmelli

Hi Sarah, I love your list of priorities!! What does you prayer life look like daily? Do you keep a journal? In my prayer and reading time I read in the evening God’s Word and fall asleep or my mind wonders off and thinks of what I need to do, where I have to go tomorrow. How can I keep awake and my focus on what I am reading in God’s Word, praying and listening to God? Someone once told me that they write their prayers out, write scripture out so they maintain the focus. What and how do you do it? Thanks for all your wonderful posts…..extremely encouraging! Thanks again Lillian

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com Sarah Mae

I don’t keep a regular prayer journal, but I do write my prayers out some times…in fact, I like doing it and I think I’ll do it more now that you mention it. Maybe you should just pray through the day, when you’re doing dishes, working, hanging out, send up your thoughts to God. Also, maybe the evenings aren’t the best time for you, maybe the morning or over lunch?

Vince and Lillian Gimmelli

Thanks Sarah Mae….will do.

http://kcbutlersatimetolaugh.blogspot.com/ Dana Butler

I so, so love the integration of “worship” and “life.” There should be no separateness…. All of life IS worship, and as we turn our hearts toward Him throughout our days, He encounters us profoundly in the midst of it all.