First Things First

If less important activities are infringing upon more important priorities, we need to make a change. But what does this look like?

Does this mean that moms with young children can’t have a life beyond warming milk bottles, reading bedtime stories, and repeating endless “no touch”es and “stop fighting”s and “sit still”s?

Of course not! But given the significant amount of time it takes to effectively teach, train, discipline, care for and encourage young children, you won’t have time for much else for a while. Motherhood is and should consume a majority of your time and attention

So how do we eliminate distractions to this primary responsibility?

Let me answer with an illustration: A while back, I decided I would use the five minutes it took for my coffee to brew each morning to check my email, blogs I enjoy, etc. Before I knew it, five minutes turned into twenty minutes and my time with the Lord was shortened or rushed.

So, I set up a boundary for myself: no email or blogs until I have my quiet time, my husband has left for work, and I’ve sent my son off to school in a peaceful manner.

This isn’t legalism. I was simply taking measures to protect the most important from the less important. I want to keep first things first.

So what structures do you need to set up in your life to keep the training of your children a priority? Maybe you only look at email over naps or get up early to work on your home business. Maybe more drastic action is necessary. You may need to put a project on hold or set aside your hobby for a season.

Whatever it takes, let me encourage you to clear away all distractions. There’s a time for every season under heaven, and the time to train your children in the ways of the Lord is now.