Who gets the first-fruits of you?
This
probably is a silly sounding title for a
post, but what I am asking is: who gets the
cream off the top of the milk when it comes
to getting the best from you? We are so many
things to so many people that we can at
times be spread quite thin and we can find
that we are giving the first-fruits of
ourselves to people, projects and things
that do not deserve first place in our
life's priorities.
Because we are so many things to so many
people, and we only have so many hours in
our day to be that special person, I have to
ask: who really gets the best of you? God?
Husband? Children? Home? friends? extended
family? work? or church? Is your best given
to those who do not truly benefit from your
best? Are you so bound up in cleaning your
house that you forget to play with your
babies? Are you so busy spinning your wheel
that your husband gets the dregs of your
best self at the end of a busy day? Did you
hit the floor running this morning and
forget to have some time with the LORD? and
do you fall into bed exhausted and strangely
discontented and frustrated because you
haven't accomplished half of what you set
out to do today and you feel out of control?
I have been there- and still am sometimes.
I think it is then
that we have to sit back and look at what is
key in our life- who warrants the
first-fruits of our being- our person- our
spirit-our time. Do we really want to shower
our lovely smiles on strangers in shops but
scowl at our spouse? Do we want to be caught
up in soap operas on TV or endless shopping
trips when we could have spent that time
playing with our children? And could we have
organised our day better so that our house
was clean and tidied up before our husband
came home to find us agitatedly trying to do
in 10 mins what should have been done
earlier on in the day? Is he greeted with a
scowling face because he is already home and
dinner isn't even started yet? I have been
there I am afraid to say.
Life is short and
we owe it to ourselves and our families to
settle what our priorities in life are. For
all of us God is our first priority. He
deserves the creme de la creme of our lives.
Our love, our attention, our obedience and
our service. We simply must take time to
study our bible, meditate on the Word, pray
and worship. And meet with the Body of
Christ on a regular basis if possible.
Secondly for those
of us who are married, our spouse needs a
major part of the first-fruits of our being-
because he is one with us. We must love,
honour, respect and (yes) obey him as unto
the LORD. We must plan to spend some time
with him deferring to him, listening to him,
paying close attention to what he is saying
and taking an interest in him. This is key
to having an ongoing vibrant and intimate
relationship with him. It would be
disastrous to our marriages if our husbands
had been so neglected that they felt that
they had lost closeness with the one woman
they really ever need- us: the wife.
We must do all in
our power to fill the deep longing for
loving sexual intimacy with our husband. He
must never feel that he must grovel for our
favours or compete with his children- much
as you both love them- he must know in his
heart that after God, he is Lord. Even Sarah
called Abraham Lord out of respect for him.
I do not feel that we have to call them
"Lord", but we must respect and love our
husbands with the deferential treatment we
give to our LORD as a service unto Him.
Then in our
priorities comes our children. They need
most of the first-fruits of our being- our
love, patience, training, feeding, clothing,
teaching, nurturing, nursing, and caring of
bodily needs. And they deserve a mother who
is there as Mom whenever they need her.
Mothering never stops- not even when the
children are grown. They will still call for
advice with their children or with their
relationships or jobs. It is imperative that
we reserve our energies for them too.
Then there is the
home: our haven. We have a responsibility
under God to look well to the ways of our
own household. Our home needs to be tended
and protected for this is where the family
grows and the seed of civilisation is sown.
Here is where the principles of faith are
not only taught but shown in the little
things as well as the big. Here we train our
children to cope with life, to be godly,
domestic or mechanical, caring, honest and
disciplined. From here the springs of water
in knowledge will flow into the hearts and
minds of all who live there. The home will
be firmly imprinted on our minds for good or
bad- yet that imprint will be indelible.
Home will forever be etched in our hearts
and will draw us back in thoughts if not in
deed. Your home then demands a large part of
the first-fruits of your endeavours and
discipline.
How can this all be
achieved? I don't have my days so well
planned yet that I have found the perfect
answer for my own home. Some days my illness
makes me extremely tired. But one thing I
have found to be true- the day must be
started with God. It is amazing to see how
much more can be accomplished after a time
with the Lord Jesus. I find that He
clarifies my thinking and helps me establish
my daily path. I pray about what must be
achieved this very day. Then I write it
down. I continue in prayer for personal
needs or guidance and I finish up by playing
worship music. This sets the tone of my day.
I then
continue throughout the day trying to focus
on that which I have planned to do, crossing
off things as I finish. Because I am aware
of the other priorities in my life, I try to
have time set aside with my husband and I
try to allow for unforeseen events such as
taking my mother to the doctor or so on. No
day is ever going to go to plan precisely,
in fact life would be very dull without any
challenges. But I truly believe if we start
to realise our priorities and keep to them,
then those people and things deserving of
the best of our lives will be satisfied. By
establishing a routine with those priorities
in mind, you will not stretch yourself too
thin and the first-fruits of your life will
be given to those people and projects that
have eternal value. If you plan your life on
these Godly priorities, I guarantee you will
find rest comes easy and life is much more
fulfilling.
©
Glenys Robyn Hicks