Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Action expresses priority”. What we do in our lives is a direct reflection of what is really important to us. I often find myself doing things that are not at all linked to what is essential. And the question then arises, if what Gandhi says is true, do unimportant things take priority in my life? I would love to think they don’t, but if I’m spending most of my time doing frivolous things, it becomes difficult to argue the point.
Maybe it’s time that we begin to take stock of our lives and what we are doing with our time. Obviously, when we work hard, we need to spend some time relaxing, but even that is time well spent. If we are relaxing with the main purpose of recharging our batteries so that we can go out and do what is really important in the bigger scheme of things, then “relax away”. But we often allow distractions to stop us from pursuing priorities, and instead, waste our most valuable commodity – Time!
Something that I certainly found true in my life is that “Distraction leads to inaction”. That is, inaction as far as important things are concerned. I would like to believe that God has priority in my life. However, when I look at how I spend my time, and how I give Him my leftovers, I have to question my priorities. And it’s distractions that keep me from spending time with Him. Watching TV, going for a swim, writing this blog etc. etc. etc. All of these seem so much more enticing and more interesting than spending time with Him. The world and its comforts are dragging Christians away from Christ and we don’t even realise it. Instead of reevaluating our priorities, we tend to find excuses that make us feel better. And slowly, our actions have very little to do with our calling and everything to do with our comfort.
That’s why we live comfortable lives while people around the world are dying of hunger and so many other heart-breaking reasons. Yet, we excuse ourselves and blame these atrocities on everyone else. Yet, God tells us that caring for the poor, the lost, the heart-broken and the destitute needs to be our priority. With my head in my hands, I need to admit that I am failing hopelessly. It’s time we change our priorities from accumulating to distributing. Those inessentials that are wasting valuable time in our lives need to go. Less of me and more of Him.
Have an amazing day!
Mark Davidson
