Karen Ehman
“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)
As a woman, don’t you wear a lot of hats? During the course of your week, you may place on your head any of the following hats: wife, mother, worker, daughter, sister, aunt, grandma, chief cook and bottle washer, chauffer, nurse, maid, counselor, referee, PTO member, committee chair, oh, yeah….and a woman of God. Sometimes these hats are stacked so high that trying to balance them all on our pretty little heads sends us toppling completely over!!! And sadly, often the last hat we try to place on the top of this mountain is the crown we wear as a daughter of the King.
I love the simple, straight shooting words of our Lord. He cuts to the chase, breaking commands down into bite-sized chunks. He doesn’t direct us to apply a complicated six-step process in order to achieve what He has planned for us. No, He simply tells us gently, but firmly, what must be done in order for our lives to get in order. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33, NIV). However simple these verses may be, sometimes fleshing them out into reality in our lives isn’t always easy.
Especially in today’s society, a climate of frenzied activity breathes and breeds busyness. Years ago, success in our society used to be determined by what neighborhood you lived in or what kind of car your drove. Now our society measures success differently—by how busy you are! We have no white space left on our calendar; our kids constantly are carted from one activity to the next; why we hardly even eat dinner as a family anymore! Yep, something in us longs to “one up” the next gal by painting our lives in a bold shade of busy.
Although we live in a much different society than the original recipients of Jesus’ words that day on the mountainside, we can learn from them none the less. They were concerned about where their food and clothing would come from. While there are those in our midst who still have those concerns, there are others of us who are fretting about different issues. Like how we will get the food purchased and on the table, the house cleaned, the kids bathed and dressed, the laundry done, the kids chauffeured, the marriage prioritized, the relative visited, the work project done…and on and on it goes.
While our responsibilities may scream at us at every turn, Christ stands whispering… Seek first my kingdom and my righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well. Perhaps His words will prompt us to do a little plate scraping, ridding our schedules of some of the activities that clamor for our time and draw us away from time spent with Him.
Whatever set of hats God directs you to keep in your wardrobe, remember to put them on in proper order. They will only stay standing when the crown your wear as a daughter of the King is placed on first! (Must be the points on that tiara!)
Dear Lord, I’m sorry for the times that my hats are completely out of order. Make I seek You and the righteousness You offer me first every day before I attempt to carry out any of my God ordained responsibilities. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do you know Him?
A Woman's Secret to a Balanced Life by Lysa TerKeurst and Sharon Jaynes
When You're Running on Empty, Hope and Help for the Over-Scheduled Woman by Cindi McMenamin
Application Steps:
Take a piece of paper and be alone with God for a few moments. Write in order what you would say your priorities are. An example might look something like this:
God
My husband
My children
My extended family members
My job
My friends
My commitments at church and in the community
Next, take a painstakingly honest look at how you spend your time. Does it accurately reflect what you say your priorities are? Are you allowing a number 6 or 7 to take precedence over a 1 or 2?
Reflections:
What are some commitments that I could bow out of in order to make more white space on my calendar and more time for God and my family? Have friend hold you accountable to do so.
When asked to take on an outside commitment, really ask yourself “Am I called?” Do not ask yourself, “Am I capable?” Bad question! We women have the curse of capability! Make sure you are called.
Power Verses:
Psalm 31:14-15a, "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God. My times are in your hands...'” (NIV)
Psalm 70:4, "But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, 'Let God be exalted!'" (NIV)
“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)
As a woman, don’t you wear a lot of hats? During the course of your week, you may place on your head any of the following hats: wife, mother, worker, daughter, sister, aunt, grandma, chief cook and bottle washer, chauffer, nurse, maid, counselor, referee, PTO member, committee chair, oh, yeah….and a woman of God. Sometimes these hats are stacked so high that trying to balance them all on our pretty little heads sends us toppling completely over!!! And sadly, often the last hat we try to place on the top of this mountain is the crown we wear as a daughter of the King.
I love the simple, straight shooting words of our Lord. He cuts to the chase, breaking commands down into bite-sized chunks. He doesn’t direct us to apply a complicated six-step process in order to achieve what He has planned for us. No, He simply tells us gently, but firmly, what must be done in order for our lives to get in order. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33, NIV). However simple these verses may be, sometimes fleshing them out into reality in our lives isn’t always easy.
Especially in today’s society, a climate of frenzied activity breathes and breeds busyness. Years ago, success in our society used to be determined by what neighborhood you lived in or what kind of car your drove. Now our society measures success differently—by how busy you are! We have no white space left on our calendar; our kids constantly are carted from one activity to the next; why we hardly even eat dinner as a family anymore! Yep, something in us longs to “one up” the next gal by painting our lives in a bold shade of busy.
Although we live in a much different society than the original recipients of Jesus’ words that day on the mountainside, we can learn from them none the less. They were concerned about where their food and clothing would come from. While there are those in our midst who still have those concerns, there are others of us who are fretting about different issues. Like how we will get the food purchased and on the table, the house cleaned, the kids bathed and dressed, the laundry done, the kids chauffeured, the marriage prioritized, the relative visited, the work project done…and on and on it goes.
While our responsibilities may scream at us at every turn, Christ stands whispering… Seek first my kingdom and my righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well. Perhaps His words will prompt us to do a little plate scraping, ridding our schedules of some of the activities that clamor for our time and draw us away from time spent with Him.
Whatever set of hats God directs you to keep in your wardrobe, remember to put them on in proper order. They will only stay standing when the crown your wear as a daughter of the King is placed on first! (Must be the points on that tiara!)
Dear Lord, I’m sorry for the times that my hats are completely out of order. Make I seek You and the righteousness You offer me first every day before I attempt to carry out any of my God ordained responsibilities. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do you know Him?
A Woman's Secret to a Balanced Life by Lysa TerKeurst and Sharon Jaynes
When You're Running on Empty, Hope and Help for the Over-Scheduled Woman by Cindi McMenamin
Application Steps:
Take a piece of paper and be alone with God for a few moments. Write in order what you would say your priorities are. An example might look something like this:
God
My husband
My children
My extended family members
My job
My friends
My commitments at church and in the community
Next, take a painstakingly honest look at how you spend your time. Does it accurately reflect what you say your priorities are? Are you allowing a number 6 or 7 to take precedence over a 1 or 2?
Reflections:
What are some commitments that I could bow out of in order to make more white space on my calendar and more time for God and my family? Have friend hold you accountable to do so.
When asked to take on an outside commitment, really ask yourself “Am I called?” Do not ask yourself, “Am I capable?” Bad question! We women have the curse of capability! Make sure you are called.
Power Verses:
Psalm 31:14-15a, "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God. My times are in your hands...'” (NIV)
Psalm 70:4, "But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, 'Let God be exalted!'" (NIV)
Labels: Balance, Contentment, Marriage, Relationships, Time with God
2 Comments:
Amen, Karen. It is so true that we run and run, but don't seem to have some quiet time with Him. He is our source of strength and peace. If we neglect the time with Him, we will soon run on empty. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Blessings to you and yours...
A friend shared this bit of wisdom with me: if satan can't get you, he'll get you busy! This definetly hits home. I frequently have to stop and reorganize my hats.
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