A check list or a way of life?

Priorities…

As many of you may know, the other night we had to bring Breana to Children’s Hospital because she was running a 103.9 fever and her pulse rate was close to 140 beats per minute.

As Simone talked the aftercare hours nurse, I was checking her temperature and pulse again. I already had a settled that if Breana’s temperature reached a certain degree, we were taking her to the hospital despite what the Doctors said. That number was 103.5. Well needless to say when I took that thermometer out of her mouth and it was 103.9, I didn’t have to think to hard or too long, we were taking her to the hospital.

So I scrambled to my phone to call my mom and let her know we were going to bring Jacob over for her to watch and why. As my brain was working and processing all the different things that were going on, we were already in the van dropping off Jacob. At that point all I was concerned with was getting my daughter who was suffering to the hospital in a quick and safe manner.

I remember driving the van and all the thoughts were racing through my mind. What is wrong with Breana? Man what if her temperature spikes even higher, are we ready to deal with whatever the hospital finds? What if the hospital says she has some incurable illness, how will we deal with that?

I remember pulling up and dropping Breana and Simone off at the entrance of Children’s Hospital then parking the van. We sat in the ER waiting room for what seemed like hours. As the minutes passed I found myself focusing on one thing and one thing only….Breana’s well-being.

All the problems and deadlines and situations from the day stood still as I gazed at my daughter lying in the arms of Simone, in a very still, very motionless state. All I cared about was getting the best treatment, if that was even necessary, for our daughter.

But as I sit now and reflect on that, I also find myself falling back and reflecting on my relationship with God. Do I view God as just a priority? Is God 1^st on some list, and if I don’t spend a certain amount of time studying and serving and talking and praying to God….is He not a priority in my life?

I had an awesome conversation about this very subject with a friend a couple weeks ago. For all my life I had to put God as #1 on my list of priorities and make sure that I had my quiet time with Him and read my Bible and did my devotionals. And if I didn’t accomplish all those things every single day, at a moment’s notice God could, if He chooses, to smite me.

I find myself moving from a priority list, to a life style where God is at the center, the core of my life. He is not just some item on the top of a list; He is intricately woven in my everyday ordinary life. I feel just as connected to God when I am playing with my kids and having a conversation with friends as I am when I am reading and study and preparing for a weekend message.

So is God a priority in my life? Absolutely…but He also gave me a beautiful family, awesome friends, a love for football, and a BBQ pit, which I love grilling on!! I think….now continue to follow me here…I think that when God is the center of our lives and we don’t stick Him in a box under the bed, we don’t have to worry about prioritizing God, we are living out of the life that Jesus displayed for us when He walked this great earth.

So when we were in the ER waiting room, isn’t it possible that at that very moment we were spending time with Jesus. We were concerned and caring for our daughter, a daughter that God Himself gave us and entrusted us to rise up and be a follower of Jesus?

I do believe so….I could feel His presence, in the midst of my concerns and crazy thoughts of what could be doing this to my daughter, I could hear Him saying, I am with you Grant, do you trust me? And when I said yes Lord, I trust you, even at this moment….I believe Jesus was at the center of my life, He was no longer some item on a list…..

Priorities…..