Our lives are influenced by multiple factors, including our ability to prioritize things. This can play a significant role in our success. We are often faced with a wide range of options from which we select the most suitable for our wellbeing. Since we know the most effective options available to us, we choose those that can be helpful. We also choose those who can bring out the full potential of our abilities, and those that can get us closer to achieving our goals.
The fact that having a clear sense of priorities can have a profound effect on our lives, most especially on our future. We now need to ask this question for ourselves: ARE WE CAPABALE OF FOCUSING ON MORE THAN ONE COMMITMENT AT A TIME?
The answer is yes, we can, because the realities of life force us to multitask.
But what about our priorities? Prioritizing things is part of goal-drivenness. Yes, prioritize! It is determining the task that has the most importance, while not neglecting the other concerns behind it.
I’m sure you've heard the word "working student"! A person who studies and works at the same time. While he strives to become a better version of himself, his situation does not allow him to simply concentrate on schoolwork. He needs to work at the same time to support himself during his studies. You see, working and studying are both difficult tasks to accomplish at the same time. However, they must co-exist to achieve his single goal, to improve himself.
The idea of setting priorities without neglecting others is what most Christians lack. We think that being a Christian is JUST a commitment between you and God and to your own characters, but it is also a commitment to the church and others.
It's not only our responsibility to improve our spirituality, but also that of the congregation. The church fellowship isn't just about singing, praising, preaching, but also it is about doing administrative duties inside the fellowship to ensure sound stewardship and ground rules are observed. This is how a successful congregation functions, and everyone is expected to do their finest.
Being hardworking, showing concern, dedication and loyalty are some of the traits we should possess in pursuing our career goals. This is because these traits will lead us to growth and success in our chosen field. However, the same can also be applied to our spiritual lives. We work hard for our career so that we can advance in it (e.g., a laborer wanting to be the foreman, the foreman wanting to be the engineer, an engineer wanting to be the project director, a project director wanting to be the general manager, a high-ranking manager), and career advancement will only be possible if we do not stop working towards it.
But have we tried to have that same enthusiasm (over our career) in our Christian life? Did we strive to reach our highest level of service, even if it was a little bit? Have we not considered that the right way to gladly serve God is to not regard OUR MINISTRIES AND CHURCH DUTIES as an option? Where we put it at the bottom of our priorities. Being a Christian is not just a way of life or a relationship with God, but also a career that cannot be taken for granted.
In reality, everyone works hard to comply with the rules and regulations of universities for their education. This is because it sets the course for their future. Additionally, all employees strive to follow the rules and regulations of their companies since doing so will help them gain financial security. We choose to follow because we benefit from it.
What a paradox. Christianity is also a career, yet we choose to ignore and misunderstand our church commitments. Does it not seem absurd that we can't be late at work or at school, yet we find it acceptable to be late at church services? Isn't it ironic that we sacrifice our rest to study intensively for exams or reports? Yet, we are satisfied with simple preparation for a song-leading or Bible study task. It is not a shame if we strive to achieve high marks or promotions to impress our teachers or bosses. And yet, we act as mediocre workers in church duties and responsibilities, and we don't even mind doing so in front of our church leaders.
Our ministry should never be viewed as an inconvenience, but rather as our most rewarding career since we are hired by God! Therefore, we should place it first above all else! It is true that our academic and occupational duties must be fulfilled, however, so too our SPIRITUAL DUTY! It should be prioritized with the same commitment to high-quality work because God assigned us to those ministries. If we prioritize this career, the Almighty One will reward us for all our diligent work. Isn't it inspiring to hear as we receive the promotion of the Lord, the phrase, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.”
