First Things First

Ever get so preoccupied with things that need to be done that you miss something important? I do.

I typically get up in the morning with several things in mind that need to be accomplished during the day. Part of the morning routine is refining the mental list of things to do. Frequently, I carry over things that didn't get done the day before - errands to run, bills to pay, calls to return.

Now that it's summer, my kids are being pretty persistent about getting their requests registered first thing in the morning. "Daddy, will you take us swimming today?" "Daddy, can I play a game with you?" "Daddy, will you make me some jelly toast?" Nothing insurmountable. Nothing I don't want to do. Nothing I won't happily make room for in the already forming list of things to get done. Just rapid fire requests, one after another, from three kids to their Daddy.

In moments of arrogance, I think to myself that the things I need to get done are of greater importance than swimming, games and jelly toast. But to my three kids, they are putting into words their simplest needs, their desire to be in relationship, their hope for something that brings them moments of joy and laughter.

Psalm 5:3 says this,

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

My kids start the day by laying their requests before me. And they wait in expectation. Sometimes not very patiently, but they wait in expectation nonetheless. If they don't get what they ask for, they'll ask again. I do my best to make sure the jelly toast gets made and the games get played. More days than not, lately, we make the late afternoon walk to the neighborhood pool after I get home from work and before we sit down for dinner.

My kids are teaching me something pretty important. I have a heavenly Father who loves me - who satisfies my simplest needs, who desires to be in relationship with me, who relishes opportunities to lead me on paths of joy and laughter.

Most days, I get up and jump right in to the routine of things that need to be done. I neglect the time to lay my requests before the Lord. Lord knows how impatient I get when things don't go the way I want.

Maybe I should try something new in the morning. Maybe I should take time to lay my requests before the Lord before I get sucked into the competing demands of my time and energy.

God hears my voice when I express to Him the things I need and give voice to my hopes and dreams. Surely it pleases God for His children to start the day this way, even more than it pleases me to hear the innocent, expectant voices of my children.