IMPORTANT > convenient

Doing what's most IMPORTANT may not always be most CONVENIENT.

This is where the priority of PRIORITIES comes into play.

We have to know what's most important. We have to predetermine what the standard is for our priorities. And while we obviously can't see into the future and know what choices we will face, what unforeseen circumstances may come flying into our day like a bug into the windshield on the interstate, we can determine ahead of time that certain things are more important than others. Here's a sample of some of the things we might want to consider.

People are more important than plans.
At The Brook we encourage everyone to ask the question: Is my life interruptible? If someone's in need, can I lay aside what I'm doing to help them? Am I willing to inconvenience myself for the sake of someone's urgency that might not have been on my To-Do List? This will probably not come in high on the convenience scale.

Equipping and empowering someone else trumps just doing it myself.
Man, is this so much easier to say and write than to actually stick to and abide by. But man, is it so worth it when we actually hold ourselves to this standard. I am so passionate about seeing leaders emerge, develop, and come to life. At the same time I'm also a recovering control freak. And so often, because we procrastinate and we overcommit and we arrogantly think there's seriously no way possible that there could be another way to do this.....we don't. We don't equip. We don't empower. We just keep doing it our way. We just keep doing it ourselves. And we're under the delusion that it's just more convenient. And let's just be honest: maybe half the time it actually is. But it's not more important. And because we're always going to gravitate toward what seems easier - what seems more convenient - we must determine NOW what's more important. We have to determine what's PRIORITY.

Getting to lunch on time...or helping that girl fix her flat tire?

Beating the traffic home after work...or stopping at the gym?

Sleeping in again...or spending that 30 minutes prayerfully reading God's Word?

Getting your Netflix fix...or having a catch with your son in the backyard?

Doing what's most IMPORTANT may not always be most CONVENIENT.

But man, doesn't it always seem to be most REWARDING?