Take Care of You
~First Things First

Posted by Katheryn Rice on August 27th, 2010 in Blog | 7 Comments

Here it comes again… Another brand new school year! Just imagine the potential of that fresh, clean planner with all those blank pages for creating schedules and lists and lessons. Being a home school mom of three bright, imaginative and very active young men, I better be prepared to be on top of my game. I’m beginning this year with a list to put my priorities in order so I don’t get carried away in the hustle and bustle of activities and forget what I know is most important.

How about we try this together? Whether or not you home school, you can certainly put this plan of attack to all areas of your life. We all know that our jobs as women include a wide range of tremendous responsibilities that take all our gifts and talents to pull off on a daily basis.

If we break them down into very simple categories, they might look like this:
God, Family, Everything Else.

Let’s start with first things first.

When we put God first, we are allowing Him to fill us up with His ways, His thoughts, His plans for our day. There is no better way to start a new day than by settling in for a chat with the One who made it. Anything we do today is His, and we want to be sure He’s in it.

Family is next on the agenda. Boy, does this one like to sneak up and steal top billing! I think a good way to keep this priority in its place is to remember all the members in your family. I’ll bet if I ask you to name everyone you take care of each and every day, you’d leave someone out. Yourself! You are a vital member of your family and you need to remember to take time to nurture you. Why not start your day with some exercise? Some time to enjoy tea and the sunrise? A quiet place to journal your thoughts? After you meet with your Father, meet with one of His favorites- YOU!

Now on to the Everything Else category. Sounds pretty vague? It’s just what it is. Everything that is not prayer, reading the Bible, worshiping. Everything that is not placing our family’s needs above the needs of others. Planning for the new school year is everything else. Filling in that planner with all those very important tasks that must be done and done now is everything else.

So where does career fall? Everything Else.
What about Mom, sister, friend? Everything Else.
Writing, quilting, scrapbooking? Yep, good ‘ol E.E.
But what about ministry? Leadership in MOPS or Women’s Ministry? Praise team at church? Children’s ministry?

In which category do we place all the amazing works God is calling us to-God, Family, or Everything Else?

God first, in all things. Matthew 6:33 says to “Seek first the kingdom of God…” To put God first in life, simply seek Him. He wants us to be still and listen to His voice, to rest in His presence. We can’t get that confused with works. God will equip us with what we need to carry out what He calls us to, and we should be sure to do it. But that comes only after we’ve put Him first in our hearts, above all else, even the very ministry we do in His name.

As you plan out your days, remember to set aside time to take care of your relationship with God and to take care of you so you can take care of your precious family and of Everything Else.