If you have read any of my recent posts....you know that our life has been a little more chaotic than usual the past couple of months with the move. It has been a time of testing for sure. During this time it has been hard to juggle lessons, personal needs, family needs, God's needs, and all other things that push their way in on any given day. I have been working diligently on my spiritual self improvement so that I can be a good example to my Kiddos and feel confident in the way we prioritize our lives. I know that if we put God first, everything else will fall into it's natural order. Our Scripture motto this year has been: "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, ans his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.". It shouldn't be, but it is hard to maintain this goal everyday. I think that we are finally obtaining this goal a good 95% of the time....I can't wait until we get it up to 100%!
I can see a HUGE difference in our days when we are seeking God first. As I wrote about in my last post we have started studying scripture with a Scripture Journal. I have made this a BIG focus for us. Just getting the kids excited about it and forming a good study habit has taken about 2 weeks. I know we are on the verge of success because one small Kiddo asked the other day "Are we going to do our Scripture Journals?". This was a celebration in my heart to hear this. This was my goal, for them to ask for and seek out our study time of the Scriptures. I am so excited to share what we have done with our Journals via photos, and as soon as I get my camera back from my Hubby's vehicle (which lives 6 hours away) I will get those on here.
Our Scripture Journaling has been just one step in my goal to prioritize myself and my family. Here is what my list looks like:
Number One: GOD
To seek Him out in prayer for ALL things and to study his word. This also includes spreading and teaching the gospel and giving service to others. The others in this season of my life are my Kiddos.
Number Two: Self
This was really hard for me to put in the number two slot. I kept wanting to put my family first. But then I had to re-think what was involved in this category. This does not mean that my desires come before theirs. I am referring to mostly my Spiritual well being, but also my Physical needs. If I am not Spiritually uplifted and my body is not healthy and strong (including the education of my mind)....I will not be able to meet the needs of my family. I can put them in the number two spot...but if I don't take care of me first.....the number two is not going to get done.
What this means for me is that I need to make time for my personal growth, whether it be to work on my number one or to seek out further knowledge (that myself and family will benefit from), and to create healthy habits (such as going for a walk).
Number Three: Family
I grouped them all together, but really there are other levels within this priority.
2. Children
3. Extended Family
My relationship with my Hubby must come first in order for our family order to work properly the way it was designed. Most of the time this is easy to do. I have times when I need to stop and re-order a few things in order to meet this priority...but usually it isn't myself that I am putting first, but my children. There are times when it is hard to give my Hubby my full attention because I get easily distracted by all the "Mommy...."' pleas. It is also important for my Kiddos to see that we have a good relationship and that we listen and give guidance to one another. I find it especially important for me to seek his direction and thoughts when it comes to the educating of our Kiddos. He helps keep me on the right path.
Then of course the Kiddos come next and take the most of my attentions through out the day...as they should. This priority is best described below:
" “Seek … first to build up the kingdom of God” means to assign first priority to God and to His work. The work of God is to bring to pass the eternal life of His children (seeMoses 1:39), and all that this entails in the birth, nurturing, teaching, and sealing of our Heavenly Father’s children. Everything else is lower in priority. Think about that reality as we consider some teachings and some examples on priorities. As someone has said, if we do not choose the kingdom of God first, it will make little difference in the long run what we have chosen instead of it."
This is a quote from an address given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks entitled Focus and Priorities. You can read it in it's fullness here.
I find it such a blessing to get God-given direction that bringing up and teaching my children come before everything else the world perceive should come first.
Obviously all other needs come after these 3 priorities. Just for the sake of organizing my time, I have put one more thing on the list. This does not mean that it comes before other needs like laundry and friendships (although some days it might!).
Number Four: Hobbies
I have many things that I enjoy doing. A few of these things include: reading, knitting, crafting, and computer time. This is where blogging comes in. I enjoy sharing our experience in homeschooling here on our blog. I also use it as a sort of journal that has our pictures and videos attached. It is a handy tool as well when I need to find inspiration from all you other bloggers (which I do often). A few weeks ago I tried to start making my blogging more formal by doing a weekly journal record what we did (or didn't) do. It was a great idea, and I have enjoyed reading others daily or weekly happenings....but alas...I have to give this up. I only posted a weekly journal two times (you can read these here and here. I could try to continue it....but then it would mess up my priority list. Maybe someday I can start it again...but with the time I have now, it just doesn't work. I can still blog....but only after everything else has been met. So my posts will continue to be sporadic.
It's important to know that not everyone's list will be the same (although it would be ideal if everyone's began with God!). The above list is my list, at this time in my life, as directed to me from God. As my life goes through changes so will my priorities, but if I am always seeking Him first I will get the direction I need for the rest.
So until next time.....whenever that might be....
Happy Day!
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