The Art of Neighbouringናሙና

 Priorities 

How often have you thought or said the words “I don't have the time” or “life is just too busy?” Oftentimes we may have good intentions in reaching out to people and showing love to our neighbors; however, our diaries become chock-a-block. This leaves no time to see those intentions come to fruition. We become unknowing slaves to our circumstances, rather than co-authors of our lives alongside God. 

Loving our neighbors, as we have seen, is a vital part of loving God. It speaks of our relationship with God and the transformation that has happened in our own hearts. We cannot have one without the other. Both commandments, loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves, are vital to our Christian walk. 

Fulfilling these commandments takes time, energy, and resources. They are not merely an afterthought from God. They are weighty, and therefore, require the relevant sacrifices and willingness to prioritize them in our life. 

In the act of prioritizing, we take what is most important, elevating it, and in the process, things that are less important fall further down the list or even off the list completely. Just as an athlete who is preparing for a big event knows that priorities need to be set and maintained in order to excel, so we as Christians need to relook at our priorities. Matthew 6:33 speaks of the importance of seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

Seeking first His Kingdom is accomplished by prioritizing loving our neighbors, creating the space and time needed in order to fulfil this commandment. We need to make the sacrifices necessary to building relationships and loving others.

Take a moment to look at where you spend most of your time and your energy. Do you feel your priorities are set with God-infused wisdom, or do you feel like a slave to your circumstances? Do you often feel your life is spinning out of control, where life is too busy, and you don’t have time? Sit, pray, and look at your weekly and/or monthly planner, asking the Holy Spirit to lead you in carving out time to build with others, creating the space to love your neighbor.