New Priorities

Today, I read a refreshing prayer in my book, Prayers for New Mothers by Angela Thomas Guffey. I would like to share it, as it is my prayer as well.

Oh, Lord,

Boy, have things changed around here. I mean really changed. I vaguely remember the days I couldn't run to the store before my hair and make-up were perfectly done. I would put on clean clothes because of a dot of ketchup. My life was color-coordinated and wrinkle-free, seamless to the beholder, and incredibly hard to maintain.

I'm embarassed to think about all the time I wasted on things that don't really matter. I worked hard at holding onto a standard of ridiculous priorities. I sacrificed authenticity for appearances. I missed out on some great living while I was pretending. Thankfully, new babies bring new priorities. Gone are those self-possessed days (forcefully stripped from me is more like it). But I am glad to lose that layer of plastic.

Thank you for this new baby and the real life she brings to our home. Teach our family how to live purely in these days. Interruptible. Honest. Unpretentious. Simple. Real. Very real. Make sure that I maintain the most important things, the things that matter for eternity, at the top of my "to do" list. Help me stop chasing after the trivial. Instead, may I capture the timeless.

Lord, let us pass these new priorities down to our children. May they live free from the bondage of meaningless pursuits. May they strive for significance and yearn for the spiritually substantial. Grant us enough wisdom to recognize what is important. Thank you for the baby that forces us to let go of the old and run after new (and better) priorities. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." ~ Matthew 6:33