First Things First

What comes to mind when you hear “first things first”? Maybe meetings and minutes, book clubs…business, right? The important things, the first things. But what do I mean by first things first?

Last year I became distracted by what I thought were first things. I had decided that my blog would become something with tons of followers and most importantly, tons of comments. I wanted engagement, I wanted notice and numbers, I wanted accolades. I was so desperate to be considered as worthwhile and I sought numbers to prove it. Notice all the ‘I’ statements. I was chasing after the world for my worth. As the author of Ecclesiastes tells us that this is all vanity! (Ecc 1:2)

I was first convicted of my worldly wanderings after realizing that I had indeed received the numbers I was wanting. After all, on a self-hosted WP blog, I can track the scary, precise numbers of visitors almost to the minute of the visit. But those individual visits from guests didn’t create the comment interaction I was craving. Next conviction came from my darling husband. He has been the means of my sanctification over the years and I desperately need it! He simply told me that he missed it when I wrote from my heart. He didn’t really enjoy reading about the food we ate the night before or about what apps I really found useful. He missed hearing from my heart. I believe whole heartedly that God gave him those words because God was also missing my heart.[blockquote align=”right” cite=”Luke 12:33b”]With a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.[/blockquote] I knew what I needed to do, I was just afraid to do it. I was afraid to put my heart ‘out there’ because it was entirely possible that no one would want to read about that. I was again fearful that the numbers would show that this avenue wouldn’t make me worthwhile either. But that’s not the case for a Christ follower, is it? A Christ follower has been warned about chasing after the treasures of this world, haven ‘t we?? Matthew 6:19-21 reminds us that storing our treasures on earth won’t promise longevity nor security. That’s exactly where critters can destroy it or thieves can steal it away! For the Christ follower, we are told to store our treasures in heaven where it will be kept safer than the vault at Fort Knox (which I have seen and it’s locked up tight, I promise!). Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Plain and simple, chasing after worldly rewards offer temporal and quickly fading kudos. Think of any trend today and just how quickly it is forgotten. Keeping my mind on heavenly goals and Christ means that my heart will long for Him as well. And that, my friends, is what a Christ follower is all about! I drifted off course from the first anchor and the mooring that is assured, and chased after the wisps of this world…

I have long known that my life was set to be an example on this earth of what mistakes NOT to make, and this new year is proving that correct 😉 Don’t be like me. Don’t get side tracked by this world and its flimsy baubles. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith (Heb 12:2). I plan to focus myself on the Word this year and offer a weekly devotions for those who desire to read them. Won’t you join me and I unashamedly focus my attention on Christ?

 

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