Looking At The Priorities Of Life

The mayor of a small town ceased mowing his lawn to the extent that he put up a sign in front of his home. It read: “There are more important things in life than tall grass.“

One of his reasons for not cutting his grass, was his wife’s death from cancer. That loss caused him to reflect on the priorities of his life. Now, he enjoys just sitting in the evenings and observing the wild flowers, squirrels, and birds that come to his yard. A city council member remarked, “If he likes it like that, it’s fine. I kind of feel like maybe he is right. Maybe there are more important things in life than mowing grass.”

The mayor gives us some food for thought about our priorities. What we do with our time gives us insight on what our priorities are.

We recall that Martha was “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40), but Mary took the time to sit “at Jesus’ feet” and listen to His teaching (Luke 10:39). Perhaps she realized that she would not have many more opportunities to learn from Jesus, thus she prioritized her time.

There are times when responsibilities like washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or working extra hours on a project may need to wait so that we can spend more time with our Lord. That’s the most important priority of all (Matthew 6:33; cf. Mark 10:28-30).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets