2010: A Year of Priorities

My last post was the forerunner of this one, but hopefully I will be better able to communicate my thoughts this time. A lot has changed in my life since my first post. Yesterday I assumed the guardianship of a teenager who had no place to live. This was not planned, it happened in 5 days time. To say the least, this has changed my perspective for the year, let alone my reality. Needless to say, my available time will no longer be the same. It should be interesting, to say the least.

I have also realized that I could have summed up my previous post with a paragraph. Which is what I will attempt to do now. I realize that what God has been dealing with me about, is that this year I am to prioritize ME. What do I mean? Well, in my finances, what’s my priority? The Kingdom, or Darren? In my time, Kingdom issues or Darren issues?

You see, I’ve realized that when you boil it all down, those are the two defining factors of our life. If you want to know where someone’s priorities are, look at how they spend their finances and time. We only have so much money and so much time. Certainly there are constraints upon both. The question is, where are our priorities for both? For example; if you work 50 hours a week, what do you do with your off time? I realize there are only 24 hours a day and between work and needed sleep there is very little left. But what about days off? Again, there are some things that have to be done to take care of personal business. What about the other time?

It’s the same with finances. In my case, I have finally gotten to the place where I have only my house and a student loan as far as debt is concerned. Then of course there are “living” expenses. Utilities, etc. type of bills. What about what’s left over? What’s my priority? Frankly, if I had done a better job of prioritizing my finances in the past, I wouldn’t have the debt to hold me back.

Here’s my 2010 financial priority: pay off student loan, trim all “expenses” to necessary only, rebuild emergency fund, give to Kingdom. Notice that the Kingdom giving is the last of the list. My goal is to turn that around by 2011. I want to be in a financial position that allows me to give to the Kingdom as my primary priority. In other words, pay off my Student Loan and be debt free but the house. Once that is accomplished, never go into debt again. From a debt free position, think of what I can give to the Kingdom.

I pray that all Christians would get that conviction. To live debt free. The borrower is servant to the lender. Biblical and practical fact. Imagine what the Church could accomplish if only half of us were debt free and willing to be conduits for God to use as a method of blessing others. I challenge you, ask God to show you how to live debt free. (Then get ahold of Dave Ramsey)

It will be interesting to see what my time priorities will be now that I am responsible for someone else. One thing I know, with God’s help I can work out a schedule that allows prayer, Bible study and teaching time. It will not always be easy, but to beat a dead horse, what’s my priority?

So much for summing it all up in a paragraph huh? The point I’m so ineptly driving home is this; time is short and Jesus is coming back soon. It’s time to get our priorities right. When 2010 draws to a close and 2011 is on our doorstep, what will you have accomplished for the Kingdom in 2010? That’s what’s going to really matter. Not whether you spent an extra hour browsing online or bought that “thing” you just had to have that you’ve already forgotten about. What have you done that pleases Jesus? That’s the real question to answer at the end of this year. With the help of the Lord, I want to be able to answer that with my head up December 31, 2010.

The Pilot’s View

If you have never flown in a small aircraft, you really need to experience it. It’s not like flying in a commercial jet, which is much like riding in a bus. There is no enjoyment, you’re just traveling. But in a personal aircraft, you can truly experience the flying. Being a passenger in one is great as well, but actually flying or piloting it is where it’s really at. The view is amazing, especially the Pilot’s view, because you control the aircraft.

I went flying today with my brother. The one thing that really jumped out at me again today, was how different everything looks from the pilot’s view. For example, we took off from Cleburne, TX which is about 30 miles south of Fort Worth, TX. 30 miles seems pretty far when you drive that distance, but from only 2000 feet up it seems like nothing. Climb up to 4000  feet and Fort Worth seems to be a step away. The higher you climb the more this seems true. Along with the distances seemingly closer, you get a whole different understanding of the area from the air than you do from the ground. Not only do locations seem closer, but your perspective is better because you can see the whole picture.

When I entered the year 2009, one year ago, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how the year would go. I thought I understood the terrain of my life. Wrong! In reality I had a ground view, but I didn’t have a “pilot’s view”. If I had known the financial hardships I had ahead of me, how different my choices would have been. Now here I am again entering a new year and a new decade.  I still only have a limited view point. But I would say I am more aware of this limitation.

Since I cant get in a plane and fly high enough to survey the year ahead, what are my options? Well, you may answer that question differently than I do, but I have decided to simply pay more attention to the Pilot of my life. After all, He not only sees today, but tomorrow, the next and the whole year to come. Indeed, He see every day to come until time is no more.

I have pretty much always started my year out by setting aside time for fasting and seeking His direction for the year to come. This year though I am going to come from a little different angle. Instead of trying to figure everything out and prepare some grand plan for the year (which rarely is achieved), I am going to seek God’s priorities for this year. What are His priorities for me to attain in 2010? Does He desire that I focus on controlling my temper better, trusting Him more in my finances, studying His Word more, etc.? In other words, instead of just making plans and setting goals to achieve that I want, what are His priorities for every day to be?

I’m not against short term or long term goals. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. What I am attempting so poorly to communicate, is that for me 2010 is to be a year of priorities. It’s time to ensure that I am truly pleasing Him in my everyday life first, before I attempt reaching some personal goal. What does He want my daily priorities to be? At this point I do not know. Hopefully by the time January is over, The LORD will have been able to penetrate my thick skull and have shown me what He wants me to concentrate upon. I know I want 2010 to be a year that I become truly Kingdom minded in my thinking. I want to put His Kingdom ahead of my kingdom.

I know that our everyday duty is to bring Him glory in our daily lives. Our actions and reactions are to bring glory to God. Perhaps this is the lesson I am to prioritize as A-1 for 2010, learn to live in a manner that I am always aware that every word spoken, every action taken, every reaction to circumstances, is supposed to bring honor and glory to Jesus. I want to get the “big picture” in view every day, so I can be aware of how every decision will impact that “big picture”.

I do have some ideas at this time, but it’s still too early to share them yet. Stay tuned though, I will have more to say on this topic soon…