“PUTTING FIRST THINGS FIRST THIRD”
I crafted a 12-step affirmation that I thought was pretty well-worded. Whether it really is or not, only eternity will tell. And even if it was well-worded, the crucial matter is whether I actually live out my affirmation.
In any case, here is the affirmation:
“Today, by God’s grace and with God’s help, I am a kind and diligent person who puts loving God first, loving people second, and putting first things first, third.”
Putting first things first assumes that life is made up of things: objects and activities. But what if life is made up of people—a God who is a person and people who are . . . well, . . . people? Perhaps all “things”, all objects and activities, are related to God and other people, either for good or for ill. And, of course, I need to remember what Radar O’Reiley said: “Hey! Animals are people too, ya know!”
Jesus reduced all the commandments to two. Neither of them is primarily related to things. Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, but he answered with two commandments: Love God (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27), and love your neighbor (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; Mk. 12:31; Lk. 10:27).
So, where does putting first things first come in? Perhaps it doesn’t! There are really only two “things” that ought to come first—loving God and loving others.
In a sense, putting first things first is a good time management technique, but it should not be mistaken for my priorities. My priorities are (or at least should be) God and people. Only when those are my priorities can I fruitfully seek to put first things first.
To say it another way, a good question to ask myself throughout the day is this: Am I putting loving God and loving people first? If I am doing that, I am indeed putting first (non)things first. And at that point, everyone and everything receives his/her/its proper due.
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