Prioritizing The Eternal: Letting Go To Receive More

Good morning, everyone.

I want to start today with a story that might sound familiar to many of you. Picture this: I’m at home, trying to get my kids’ attention. They’re completely absorbed in their tablets, watching videos or playing games. I call out, “Jack, Jack, Jacqueline!” And… nothing. Not even a glance. But the moment I mention taking the tablet away, suddenly, there’s an immediate response: “WHAT?” or “You can’t take it. It’s mine!” Of course I don’t want to take it, I gave it to her to make her happy.

Sound familiar? Maybe it’s not tablets for you. Maybe it’s trying to get a teenager to look up from their phone, or perhaps it’s your spouse who’s deeply engrossed in a TV show or a book. We’ve all experienced moments where we’re ignored until something we value is threatened.

This got me thinking about how life often works the same way. We all have our “tablets”—those things we get so engrossed in that we lose sight of what’s really important. Whether it’s our hobbies, jobs, relationships, or material possessions, these distractions can sometimes prevent us from focusing on the truly significant aspects of our lives, like our relationship with God.

Today, I want to talk about these distractions and how we can prioritize what truly matters. It’s easy to let the good things in life overshadow the greatest thing of all—our connection with God. Let’s explore how we can refocus our lives, making sure that in the midst of everything, we never lose sight of what’s most important.

As we explore further, let’s reflect on some common distractions that many of us encounter in our daily lives. These are the “tablets” of our adult lives—the things that draw our attention away from God and from what truly matters.

For example, I love sports, and I know many of you do too. Whether it’s playing, watching, or cheering for the Vikings and who is ever beating the packers that week, sports can become a huge part of our lives. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying sports, but it can start to take precedence over our spiritual life. I’ve found myself so caught up in a big game that I’ve skipped church or felt more emotionally invested in the outcome of a match than in my faith journey. Have you ever experienced that? We can get so caught up in the excitement and drama of sports that it starts to take over our Sundays and even our weeknights. The camaraderie and thrill of the game can make it easy to prioritize sports over spiritual growth.

Then there are relationships. Remember when you first started dating someone new? It’s all-consuming, and you want to spend every waking moment with that person. But sometimes, that relationship can pull us away from our spiritual practices—like attending church, praying, or reading scripture. I’ve had to reassess my priorities when a relationship started to take more time and energy than my faith. A healthy relationship should support and enhance our faith, not detract from it. When we’re in the honeymoon phase of a relationship, it’s tempting to skip church or neglect our prayer time to be with our significant other. But true love will encourage us to grow in our faith together, not drift away from it.

Work is another major distraction. We all strive to do well in our careers, and sometimes that means putting in extra hours or going the extra mile to impress our bosses. I’ve been there, working so much that I missed out on church or family time. But our jobs, while important, are temporary. If we passed away tomorrow, it would likely take just two weeks for our employer to replace us. Yet, we often let work dominate our lives, pushing aside our relationship with God. The pressure to succeed and provide can make us justify long hours and missed Sundays, thinking it’s just for a season. But seasons can stretch into years, and we must remember that our ultimate provider is God, not our job.

And then there are our hobbies and possessions. I love fishing and going on trips, and I’m sure many of you have your own passions—whether it’s being in the boat, the latest fishing rod, or a fancy trip. These are blessings, but they can also become tests of our priorities. It’s easy to justify skipping church for a weekend getaway or to indulge in our favorite pastime. We might tell ourselves that we’ve been blessed with these things because we’re doing something right, so it’s okay to take a break. But if we continually let these distractions pull us away from our faith, we risk losing sight of what’s most important. Enjoying God’s creation and the blessings He gives us is wonderful, but we must ensure that these blessings don’t become idols that take the place of our relationship with Him.