Saturday, March 25, 2017

What's Important to You?

by Sylvia Gaston

Decisions, decisions, decisions. We make thousands of them each day – big and small.

Who will care for my children should I die unexpectedly? What should I eat for dinner? Should I have a child now? Does this shirt go with these pants?

We make decisions that are significant and insignificant; important and routine; life-changing and mundane.

Some research suggests that we make a staggering 35,000 decisions a day. Children make only about 3,000. Ah, to be a child again.

How to you make your decisions? Do you give them detailed thought and time before deciding? Or are you a snap decision maker? Do you consult wise people or do online research? Do you pray before deciding?

I believe that, in order to make wise decisions, we must first decide what is really important to us. That will then dictate how much time, research, prayer should go into each one.

Is it super important to my life which gas station or brand of milk I choose? No. Is who I marry or who I become important to my life? Yes!

Here’s something to consider. What are the most important things in your life? In the grand scheme of things, what means the most to you? It isn’t necessarily the same for all. For me, it’s my husband, kids, friends, conduct/character – basically, the ones I love and why I exist.

In deciding where to spend my time and decision-making, it makes sense to dash past the unimportant and focus on the meaningful. Am I doing that? Am I spending time and building up the ones I love? Am I a good, contributing, compassionate, and giving human being? Does this make my life successful and worthwhile? (pregnant pause here)

In this culture, where we reward and revere the accomplished, the beautiful, the wealthy…are we defining success accurately? My definition of success has drastically changed in the past 15 years. I no longer crave fame, possessions, power. I long for meaning. I now desire meaningful relationships and making a positive impact on the world around me. That may not bring me worldly recognition, notoriety, and riches. But, that’s what has become the most important to me.
Once we define what’s really important, THAT’S where we need to spend our time and focus. That’s where we need to heavily weigh our decisions in the hope that we will create a life worth living.

Speaking of a life worth living, what about the most important decision of all? We must each decide where we will spend our life after this one. The Bibles tells us in John 17:3 (ESV) “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

God teaches us that this life on earth is but a mist in contrast to forever. Where will you spend forever?  THAT’S a decision on which we should all deem extremely important and spend much time, research and lot and lots of prayer. 

What’s important to you?

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