YOU ARE YOUR 1ST PRIORITY

As soon as I began to write this I think of the recent cover of Essence Magazine with Michelle Obama and her article speaks about the importance of putting herself 1st. I haven’t read the article but the title is self explanatory. I also remember reading a magazine a feature article on Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Will had expressed to Jada early on in their relationship that he put himself 1st. Initially, it was a concept that Jada didn’t understand, she felt that the family should be first.

Years ago, I watched an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show where she had mothers who felt unfulfilled and unhappy. The main cause, they were putting family and every other thing in their lives 1st because they felt that is what they were supposed to do.

Now yes the good book teaches us that it is better to give than to receive; the key however is that you have to have something to give! For instance it is difficult to sow into someone spiritually if you are not being spiritually fed yourself. It is difficult to share faith with someone if you are not working on first increasing your own faith. Does that make sense? In laymen terms, you cannot give what you do not have.

Think about when you are on an airplane and the stewardess begins to give you safety tip. They tell you if the air pressure in the cabin gets too low, oxygen masks will drop down. They go on to tell you to put your oxygen masks on 1st and then help your small children or anyone else whom may be with you that needs assistance. Why is that? With your oxygen mask on you will be able to breathe freely which gives you a clear head and the ability to calmly and quickly secure the mask around your child etc. It is a great lesson in being your own 1st priority before helping someone else.

Now please don’t read this and take it the wrong way or to the extreme. What do I mean by that? Say your refrigerator is full, all your bills are paid, and you have savings in the bank that you are saving for something special. Someone comes along and is in serious need, now you have the means to help them but you choose to focus on yourself and what you need and completely ignore their need. That is absolutely not what I am suggesting with this post.

What I am suggesting is that you take time for yourself. Take time and exercise, eat right, read a book, write something that you’ve wanted to write. Do something that is for you and you alone everyday. Even if it is just sitting for 15 minutes in solitude. Do something that you want to do that creates a sense of calm, peace, joy in your life without any distractions.

I think it is easier for many of us to be all things to all people than to be all things to ourselves. I can see some of you reading and thinking to yourselves I don’t understand. You have children, they play sports, you volunteer, you work a full-time job, you have to cook, clean, and wash clothes, church commitments and so on, your laundry list of things to do daily doesn’t allow you the time to squeeze yourself in.

If that happens to be you, you may suffer from busyness. There is a great difference in being busy and being productive. Having a daily laundry list and completing many tasks everyday doesn’t mean that you are being productive while it may be very efficient for your life. Learn to delegate tasks and prioritize better. If you don’t have time for yourself in your life you definitely need to prioritize some things. Why? Because at some point you will experience burn out. Even Jesus took time for himself. There was the example where he went alone to pray and asked the disciples to stay awake and watch. He spent 40 days in the desert well the devil was their tempting him nevertheless he was alone. He chose not take the boat once and walk to the other side and meet the disciples there. He even was asleep on the boat when the storm came in which the disciples were upset that Jesus was sleep because they thought they would die.

What’s my point if Jesus who healed the sick, restored the lost, and died for all of our sins was able to take time for himself. Surely you can even though he told us we would do greater works than him. The bible also tells us to love God, ourselves, than others. After God comes you, not your children, not your husband, not your hobbies, associations, committees etc.

YOU should be your biggest priority. You also may want to examine if you are spreading yourself to thin and eliminate some of the things you are doing. You may just be busy to avoid examining your life and making necessary changes.

Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials