Being a parent has made me even more aware of how important it is for being to make conscious effort in thinking about my priorities.  What do I spend my day doing?  What is most important to me?  And how do my actions either confirm or raise suspicion concerning what my priorities really are?

I am a planner, so usually first thing as the day begins, I have started a mental list of all the things that I want to get accomplished.

I like productivity- to be able to see something tangible that shows how productive my day has been-an immaculately clean house, a new crochet project completed, 3 chapters written in my book, a delicious meal prepared.

Life changed for me forever with the entrance of our two little miracles (our children).  They have thrown a wonderfully inconvenient wrench in all my plans and guided me towards what is really important.

Sometimes I forget to look for the eternal significance of things.  How am I spending my time furthering God’s kingdom here on earth?  Am I making a conscious effort to reach out to those around me with God’s love?  Am I in tune with the Holy Spirit?

Am I even listening to where God is guiding me today?

Through my children, and the love I have for them, God has been calling to me, to hear His voice- to be obedient to His call- and that has taken me places- and into situations that I never imagined.  It is not always easy, but it is so good-so good.

And I find myself trying for the first time in my life- to order my days according to someone else’s will and not my own.  Letting my own selfish wishes and wants be pushed aside as I listen to God’s call- my children have guided me out of a selfish existence.  I don’t think I even realized how consumed I was with self at times.

I think our society places so much emphasis on self and pleasure for the self, instant gratification, treat yourself- that sometimes we don’t wonder- or even ask, what God wants from us- what He is trying to teach us- how He is trying to use us.

Colossians 3:1-17

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is yourlife, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 ⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

I pray that we will have the mind of Christ- that we seek opportunities to serve- to open ourselves up to God’s leading- to listen.