The Main Thing is to Make the Main Thing the Main Thing
It’s 2024 – I hope you’ve finished your debriefing of 2023. Just coping with the work of living day-to-day often distracts us, keeping us in the weeds. So we move forward, wading into life in the new year, not having absorbed the lessons that good reflection can teach, veering to the same ditch we got stuck in last time.
As I look at 2024, my main thing is to help those I’m close to grow and follow God’s path for their lives. And in doing so, I want to maintain my priorities, but I also want to be interruptible. It looks like a spontaneous game with the grandkids, or a planned story time.
Often those I mentor need to not have to schedule time with me, but know I’ll pick up their call right away. I want to respond to the opportunities God may be bringing my way. Both priorities and interruptibility are important, so it’s a tension to be managed.
Peter Lord said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” What is the main thing for you in 2024? As I mentor young leaders, I’ve found one of the hardest things for them to prioritize is loving themselves – walking in the reality of God’s love for them. That’s a starting place that allows them to love others well.
If they can love themselves, settled in their identity, then they can better respond to criticism. They are more effective in prioritizing goals and moving toward effectiveness, good partners for others.
This week, I wrote a number of the team leaders I lead and said the following about switching our focus from efficiency to effectiveness:
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Excellent, Seth. The #1 priority for me this year is to hear God’s voice then do His will. John 5:30 is the path. Blessings.
Butch
“If they can love themselves, settled in their identity, then they can better respond to criticism. They are more effective in prioritizing goals and moving toward effectiveness, good partners for others.”
What a stand out insight. Thank you!
Thank you, Seth. A theme for me this year seems to be ‘Listen and Reflect’ (as opposed to ‘Listen and Respond’). Given to be a ‘doer’, my natural bent is to ‘respond quickly to resolve the problem’.
God willing, in 2024 ‘reflecting’ whenever possible before ‘responding’ can guide me to resolving the real problem beyond the apparent need. It seems whenever I am ready to ‘reflect’, Jesus is already waiting to meet me.
Good point, Brian. We can’t really assimilate truth into life change without reflection. Hope your reflecting generates the change the world needs!
Thank you! I’ve been quoting that Peter Lord expression for 30 years since I first heard him share it at a West Palm Beach church. Most important for me though has been to use it as my own personal plumb line. And I think in an age of increasing distraction, its value is also increasing. For now, more than ever, it is critical we identify what deserves to be “the main thing” in our lives, and then do everything we can to nurture that. For me, it remains “caring for orphans in their distress” and in answer to your question, one way I keep it my main thing is by keeping myself surrounded by them.
You do so well, Melinda. I love that you were impacted by Peter Lord as well. May we seek to disciple the orphans who surround us into a place of learning and thriving. I may be old, but my plate is overflowing with opportunity!
Hi Seth
Over the holidays I’ve been praying for ministry direction for 2024. I shared this with my oldest daughter and she told me that the night before she had a dream. One word kept coming up in her dream and it was “Effective”. I’ve been praying about that for days, and now you write about “effectiveness”. I’m still praying, even more so now.
Thank you for your messages.
Richard
Richard – you and Gail have served in such an effective manner ministering to the least of these in Mexico. I know the Lord will lead you going forward.