Setting Your Family's Priorities For The New Year

For the next few days, everywhere you look you'll find tips on setting your New Year's resolutions.

Exercise more.
Eat better.
Stress less.
Love everyone.
Declutter everything.

For the first couple of weeks (or days ... or hours ... or minutes), things go pretty well. You're riding high on adrenaline and hope.

And then reality sets in.

Your schedule gets too busy to hit the gym today.
Doughnuts were on sale today.
The calendar just got amazingly crazy.
You don't understand any of the people you work/live/fellowship with.
Stuff has taken over every corner of your life and you just can't catch up.

So then what? Do you just give up until next January 1 and call it a year?

Of course not. Silly girl.

The problem is that we tend to make resolutions and set priorities that are out of whack and completely unattainable.

The solution to this failure and disappointment is found in a familiar Scripture that applies perfectly to the end of December.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

The Lord Jesus Christ is explaining how destructive worry and anxiety are and how there's absolutely no reason to concern ourselves with what we're going to eat, wear, clothe ourselves with. Isn't it amazing that the concerns of Jesus' day are the same concerns of our day?

With no hidden meaning, He tells us exactly where our priority should be today, tomorrow and for the new year. When our focus is on God, He'll make sure "all these things," the stuff He wants us to have, will be provided.

Without our help.
Without our worry.
Without our working and slaving and sweating over things that don't matter.

So as you face those resolution-makers this week, pull yourself up to your full height, smile and say that you only have one priority.

The kingdom of God.

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