Biblical Answer

Prioritizing Your Own Needs: A Biblical Approach

When faced with an overwhelming situation, it's easy to feel like everything is a priority. However, this can lead to burnout and a sense of being driven rather than directed. As Christians, we must prioritize our needs in a way that aligns with God's will. This means setting our priorities in order, examining our schedules for inefficiency, and starting at the bottom to cut out non-essential tasks.

Step 1: Set Your Priorities

In setting our priorities, we must intentionally become directed persons rather than driven persons. This requires making time for Bible reading and prayer, which is essential for the Christian who wants to make progress. We must rearrange our priorities to make room for these activities, even if it seems impossible. It's not just about doing things that are important, true, and good, but also about saying "No" to things that feel urgent but are ungodly. We must remember that our priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until our life is continually face-to-face with God.

Cutting Out Non-Essential Tasks

To prioritize our own needs effectively, we must start at the bottom and cut out non-essential tasks. This means examining our schedules and eliminating activities that do not align with our priorities. We must also be willing to say "No" to things that compete with our top priorities. This requires ordinary human initiative, but also the Spirit of God, who encourages us to "Get up and get going." By prioritizing our needs in a biblical way, we can create a schedule that allows us to focus on what's truly important and make time for the things that bring us life. This, in turn, will help us to be a better spouse, friend, and servant of God. Remember, our priorities must be in perfect order, just like our husband's priorities should be, and we must make time for God and our spouse to be at the top of our list. By doing so, we will be able to overcome our reluctance and take control of our schedules, making room for the things that truly matter.