How do we know what’s important to us?

How do we know the things that are important in our lives? And what are the indicators that those things are important to us? Is there only one metric by which to measure these things?

When we look at any of our lives on a 24-hour basis, we can see that we commit set amounts of time to certain tasks and activities. We spend so much time at work, so much time in leisure activities, and so much time sleeping. If we based how much importance we place on an activity only by time spent alone, an unbiased outside observer could easily conclude that our most important activities, and the ones we enjoy the most, are sleep and work. While sleep is important, the amount of time we spend on it is really a reflection of human biological needs and not our own individual importance we place on it. And while work is important, as it allows us to earn a living and provide for our way of life, that’s not necessarily something we are excited about. When you think about it, with those two activities, we spend about two-thirds of our lives on activities that are a result of outside demands placed on us. We have to work and we have to sleep. So, if those aren’t the most important things, how do we know the things that are.

I think most people would place a high priority on their family. If we go by time spent alone, that would be difficult for a lot of us to prove. We could make the case that the reason we spend so much time working is to provide for our family. That’s an important point. That leads into my next point. Which is, I would say that one indicator of what’s important to us is how much we’re willing to sacrifice for that thing. So, you could make a point that you spend time working to sacrifice for your family. Although, there are people that spend so much time working that it has a negative effect on their family relationships. On the whole, though, we are willing to sacrifice for what’s important to us. So, we sacrifice time, money, and personal comfort for our family’s needs.

What’s another thing that would indicate something’s importance in our lives? Well, I would say another indicator would be how much time we spend thinking about that thing. I think it would be difficult to prove something didn’t matter to you if you spent a large amount of time thinking about it. This is especially true for us when we’ve just started a romantic relationship. For some of us, that may be all we think about for a while. And that’s because that has taken on a high level of importance in our lives.

So really, the most important things to us are reflected in the things we are willing to sacrifice for and the things that have prime importance in our minds. It doesn’t come down to just time spent. Even though that’s important, there are other indicators of how much we value something.

…Let’s go deeper

The reason I bring up this topic is because I think a lot of the time we get the mistaken idea that time spent on God-related activities alone is an indicator of God’s importance in our lives. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t spend time with God. Because I’m not saying that. It’s very important we spend time reading the Bible and in prayer. However, the realities of life dictate that we can’t spend all of our time in reading and in prayer. I’ve come to think of it somewhat differently. I’ve come to see that the value of God in my life is shown by involving Him in everything I do. So, everything I do revolves around Him.

AV Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.” I believe our approach to God should be, on a daily basis, to be willing to sacrifice for Him our time and energies in accomplishing the tasks He would have us to do. Sometimes He may direct us to do something. And we just need to be willing to sacrifice, maybe some other things we want, in order to do it.

AV Psalms 1:1-2, “Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalms 1:1-2 paints a picture for us of a man whose mind is continuously reflecting on God’s word. It shows that this man is blessed. Why? Because he’s doing those things and it’s keeping him on the right path. Thinking on and doing the Word will naturally cause us to be blessed. The Laws of God will keep us out of trouble and pointed in the right direction.
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AV Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.” This verse shows us how we can keep our mind on the Lord throughout the day. No matter what tasks we’re doing, or where we’re going we can focus on Him. It says this will keep us in perfect peace. Why? Because we are trusting in Him throughout the day in everything we do. Also there’s AV 1Thessalonians 5:17. It simply says, “Pray without ceasing.” Besides our set daily time in prayer, we can pray to Him throughout the day. In everything we do, we can ask for His guidance or for Him to intervene in the daily events of our lives.

Finally, I think it’s important to have a heavenly mindset. AV Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” We need to remember that, while we have daily tasks to accomplish, we shouldn’t become encumbered by them. In everything we do our hearts and minds should be set on things above. Not only heaven as our goal, but having a kingdom mindset in that everything we do is done with God’s purposes and plans in mind.

AV Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.”

AV Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”