Choosing Family Priorities

Priority
1. A thing that is regarded as more important than another.
2. The fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important.

Whether we realize it or not, we prioritize everything in our life: our time, our finances, and even our relationships.

While we all have the freedom to choose our priorities, we may be living as though our priorities are already determined for us. We’re scheduled to serve at the youth banquet. We’re signed up to run concessions at the game Friday night. We’re chosen to be part of a new committee. We’re asked to lead a women’s Bible Study or help in the nursery or teach Sunday School. We’re organizing the fundraiser. You get the idea.

There are always plenty of opportunities available, committees to be part of, sports to sign up for, activities to participate in, and ways to serve.

But with those opportunities come the temptation to overcommit and overschedule. Then what began as a way to be involved, get to know others, serve or volunteer, ends up being a lot of commitments that leave us drained and our family members running in different directions.

Fall provides us with the opportunity to start fresh. This is the time to choose your commitments and your priorities as a family.

We can look to Scripture and find principles for helping us prioritize. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

We know we are supposed to start with God, but where do we go from there? 

The Girl Talk blog has a great post about priorities. This quote sums it up best: “We are to approach life in the same way we go after bargains. We need to discern the best opportunities life has to offer. Then we must seize those opportunities and make them our highest priorities.”

How do we discern the best opportunities for us?

Here are a few simple steps:

1. Evaluate your family’s current commitments. Realize that your children’s commitments are your commitments if you transport them, or if you attend to watch or cheer or support. Think through work, hobbies, church and extra-curricular activities. If you are prone to over-commit, check out these strategies for the over-committed. 

2. Determine your values. This may be new to you. If so, start simple. Sit down together as a family and talk. What are your passions? What is important to you? How has God uniquely gifted you? Create a list of the things you value as a family and what’s important to each of you. Write individual lists and then create a family list of values based off common themes. The Simple Mom believes so passionately in Simple Living that she released a book last year on that exact topic. In this article, she suggests that we honestly evaluate all our priorities.

3. Ask yourself, “Do our current commitments align with our values?” When opportunities come your way, evaluate them against your values list. Ask yourself questions such as: Does this/would this give my life value? What would happen if I chose not to participate? Is this in line with our values and goals? Read here about one family who made some changes so they could enjoy the things they value most.

Working through these three steps will help you choose your priorities and live life according to the things you value. Ask God to help you discern where to invest your time, treasure and talents. Then choose your commitments wisely. When you do, you’ll discover life is rewarding, fulfilling and energizing!