Description
Now we want to circle back again to discussing the importance of realigning our priorities. While we may have regularly done this throughout our personal and professional lives, it is during this season that it is so important that we revisit this. Of course with a shortening runway in front of us, the need to do this would seem rather obvious, yet the danger is to put our lives in idle mode at this time. But as we previously have seen, God has a plan and purpose for us even in our older age, if we are willing, he still has a purpose for our lives. But for this to happen we need to re-establish priorities in our lives.
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Video Script
Episode 12 Intro: Renewed Priorities
Now we want to circle back again to discussing the importance of realigning our priorities. While we may have regularly done this throughout our personal and professional lives, it is during this season that it is so important that we revisit this. Of course with a shortening runway in front of us, the need to do this would seem rather obvious, yet the danger is to put our lives in idle mode at this time. But as we previously have seen, God has a plan and purpose for us even in our older age, if we are willing, he still has a purpose for our lives. But for this to happen we need to re-establish priorities in our lives.
The Need for Priorities
Priorities are simply decisions we make ahead of time regarding where we will put our efforts and time. It is likely we have done this throughout our lives and this season of life should be no exception. However, as with other dynamics during this last third of life there are a few potential wrinkles in doing this.
Even Jesus set priorities, didn’t he? He was not just wandering aimlessly along the shores of Galilee seeing what would come along for him to do that day. He always knew what his purpose was and what his Father wanted him to do. Luke records at one point that, “At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” (Luke 4:42-44). When others tried to get in the way of his priorities, he always brought the focus back to God’s calling on his life.
Maybe when you were younger you had the capacity to be all things to all people, but even those with great capacity and gifting, usually come to a point in life that they realize that they cannot do it all. In any case, we will all eventually run out of time. This is something we should perhaps come to terms with earlier than later in life for our own health and well being. So by this stage of life we have likely discovered that we cannot do everything we want; our limitations become painfully obvious during this time.
While in the past we could just work harder and longer to get things done, this is usually now not possible. We don’t have the emotional, physical, or mental capacity to pull it off, I know that is hard for some to admit. This is particularly difficult for those high achievers and highly motivated among us. The reality of aging, whenever it hits us, can come as a bit of a rude shock. This is where establishing priorities becomes so important.
As we navigate this season of life we need to readjust our schedule and expectations to fit our capacity and make sure we are putting our time and energies in doing the right things. While when we were younger we could push the envelope, if we try to do that at this stage we will likely just get run down.
It is easy during several decades of ministry to allow the busyness of ministry and all the necessary things we have had to do in our lives to lose what our main focus should be. Again, this does not happen overnight, but is more of a gradual shift. Or perhaps it has been the pressing needs of paying the bills and the obligations of raising a family that have caused our dreams to be sidelined.
But to turn this around, as we enter our final third of life will require a bit of soul searching and, as we saw last episode, spending time with the Lord to see what his plans and purposes are for us in order to fulfill the calling he still has on our lives. In order to regain this, we must slow down and take some time to rediscover who we are in Christ and what our main calling is.
This will help us view all those activities on the edges of our lives that we need to reprioritize and perhaps not give as much time and attention. It will require distinguishing between what is really important and those things that are not as important. Transition times in our lives can motivate us to review where we have been and where we need to be going.
Perhaps you have already done this, but if not, consider the following questions as you re-align your priorities:
Have you come to the point in your life that you recognize the need to realign your priorities? What are your current priorities? Will they need to change in the years ahead?
Peter’s Priorities
After Peter denied Jesus three times, he did what most of us do when life takes a turn we did not see coming. In his remorse and vulnerability he goes back to doing what he knew to do, back on the lake fishing. Yet we find him not being all that successful in doing what he used to do. He had fished all night and caught nothing. But as we know, Jesus had not discarded Peter or forgotten his calling on his life – remember three years earlier he had promised that Peter he would be a fisher of men. I am sure glad that in our lowest moments, God doesn’t discard us or forget the plans and purposes he has for our lives.
So Jesus begins to rebuild the relationship with Peter in a very practical way by helping him get some fish. But his ultimate goal was to restore the relationship so that Peter would remember his calling to be a fisher of men. I wonder how awkward it was as they were sitting together around the fire grilling their fish? They had likely talked during the previous encounters after the resurrection, but I think Peter was still unsure about his future, so much had changed.
Then Jesus asks Peter a question of priority, “Hey Peter, do you love me more than these fish – you know more than your old way of life?” Of course Peter was still Peter and so he was quick to respond, “Of course, Lord you know I love you!” This happens three times and each time Jesus reminds him that his priority is to “feed sheep,” not “catch lake fish.” As we know, Jesus is not only restoring his relationship with Peter, but is reminding him of his life priority. You know this is the same thing he does with us at various intervals in our lives isn’t it?
But then Jesus makes a bit of an odd statement. He says, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (Jn. 21:18). John tells us that the specific context was that Jesus was telling Peter how his life would end. Yet it does indicate a truth that as we age, the fact is that we relinquish more and more control to others…..or we should anyway.
But then Peter pivots and makes his own odd statement. He looks at John and says, “Hey how about him, what’s going to happen to this guy that you really love?” Sometimes the priorities that God has for us are not exactly the ones we were looking for. Jesus makes it pretty clear that we all have our own race to run and he is aware of all the twists and turns in our road and has a plan for each of our lives. That is what is to be our focus, what he wants to do in our lives, not someone else’s.
As we have previously discussed, during this season of life it will become increasingly necessary to allow others to do things that we may have always done ourselves. This is why it is so important to realign our priorities in order to focus on doing those things that we are best at; focusing on our strengths and doing those activities that will enable us to finish our race.
As with all priorities, it will be important that we learn how to say no to even good things. At this stage of life it is important to realize that we cannot do everything. Failing to make this adjustment has the potential to cause us to not finish our race. This may mean limiting what we do and eliminating some activities, appointments, etc. in order to reallocate our time and energy.
Renewed Relationship
As Jesus began with asking Peter if he loved him above everything else, in the same way he comes to us and asks us to rekindle our relationship with him. In spite of life’s twists and turns and even our failures, God is always seeking to renew our relationship with him. As we saw in the last episode, it just requires us to move towards him and experience the warmth of that relationship again.
As Peter, it is at this inflection point that we need to rely on God’s strength and presence to give us new peace and grace to finish the race. Only this daily centeredness will enable us to focus on our core values and priorities. It is during this time that we also need to recommit to serving and sharing life with those who share our values. Like Peter, Jesus asks us if we truly love him and, if so, strengthen others – feed his sheep.
More than at any other season in our life, we will need to limit the amount of time we spend with those that drain life and energy from us. Practically, this may also mean downsizing or eliminating those things in our lives that drain us of our time and energy. (Acts 2:42; Phil. 1:3-5) This could include relationships, but also it is important to also look at material things in our lives that perhaps require so much maintenance and upkeep that they may not be worth the effort. The irony is that at this time of life we may be able to financially afford more than we need or even have the time and energy to maintain.
On a very practical side, to maintain our health during this season, it is important that we intentionally do recreational activities such as a walks with our spouse or taking time to do a hobby. Not just during those special times of the years or on the weekend, but regularly during the work week. In other words, taking the time to pump the brakes on striving to always being productive. While this is important throughout life, during this season it is crucial. Though it may be difficult to shift these priorities, if we have never developed these disciplines during previous seasons in our life.
In addition to reconsidering our priorities in order to adjusting the pace we live our life at, we may also need to evaluate how much time we invest with our digital devices and the “screens” in our life. Okay, I really have the potential to get into trouble now, as I know our devices have become an integral part of our lives. I am not suggesting becoming a hermit and living in the woods somewhere – though I have to admit that does sound rather appealing some days! But perhaps if we limited our media time we would be spiritually and emotionally healthier in the long run.
I am merely suggesting that we may need to take an inventory of our time to see if our devices are taking up too much of our lives. Studies have shown that people check their devices up to a thousand times a day. In order to finish the calling God has on our lives we may have to learn the discipline of shutting the screens off and realigning our priorities so that we can finish the race that God has called us to run.
As we conclude this episode, What practical steps do you need to take in order to realign your priorities? How will this affect your daily schedule? Your weekly schedule? Your activities?
In this Third Section of our series, episodes 9-13, we have been looking at ways to regaining meaning, hope, spirituality in our lives. In this episode we discovered the need to realign our priorities and next time in the final episode of this section we will discuss the importance of renewing our relationships during this season of our lives. As always, I hope you’ll be able to join me for that.