Protecting Your Peace Through Naming Your Priorities

If you’ve been reading this blog over the last month, you have seen how Scripture teaches us to surrender our worry to Jesus and replace it with prayer and gratitude (catch up on the last two posts here and here). Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to replace our anxious thoughts with gratitude and promises that when we do, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. This practice has served me well by quieting my heart and reminding me that God is in control, and He provides all that I need. Yet as I continue to put this discipline into practice, I’ve made an important observation: the stress-inducing, anxiety-filled circumstances I find myself in are often of my own making. I’ve recognized that when I make decisions that do not align with my main goals and priorities, it is guaranteed to cause my anxiety levels to increase. Therefore, one way to prevent the downward spiral of anxiety before it even starts and to promote and protect my overall peace, is to identify the main priorities in my life and make daily choices that support them.

Naming Your Big Rock Priorities

Naming what is most important to you is a great first step in living a life full of peace. Once you know your biggest priorities you can direct your time and attention towards them. I’ve come to think of my main priorities as big rock priorities.

Big rock priorities are the nonnegotiable things in your life, your most important goals and responsibilities. They are so crucial that you must establish them in your life first to ensure they have the space they need to grow and thrive. Big rock priorities may include your spiritual walk, relationships with your spouse, and relationships with your children and family.

Once you know what these main priorities are, make choices that support and grow these priorities. If I want to cultivate my spiritual life but never make time to read God’s word, pray, or build community with other believers, I’m setting myself up for disappointment, stress, and anxiety.

I experienced this recently when I committed to a volunteer project that ended up requiring a lot more time and attention than I had originally anticipated. For about two weeks I found myself spending several hours each day working on this project, time I would have normally spent taking care of my family’s needs, writing, and more.

I found myself getting quickly irritated and anxious when my boys needed extra help with their homework or when a key ingredient for dinner was missing from the pantry. My thoughts, emotions, and energy had been consumed by this good thing I was doing but it also resulted in me not having the physical or emotional capacity to serve my family, one of my primary and favorite priorities.

I learned from this experience that every time I say yes or no to something, it affects how much I have to give other priorities in my life.

Small Rock Priorities

If you have identified your big rock priorities and your life has margin, move on to naming your small rock priorities. These might include financial, health, work, or personal development goals. Small rock priorities will still be significant to you but are not the most important. Small rock priorities will vary by the season of life you are in and will change over time.

If your big and small rock priorities fill your plate, stop there. If you have the emotional and physical capacity and the desire to take on more, move on to identifying your sandy priorities. Sandy priorities are the small things that can fill in your margins. These are usually small goals that can easily be left undone if the large and small rock priorities require more of your time and attention.

How Setting Priorities Protects Your Peace

Setting priorities ensures you are investing in what is most important to you. Spend some time praying and asking God what your big rock priorities should be. Ask Him how He wants you spending your time and resources.

Knowing your priorities and writing them out gives you a clear picture of how you should spend your days. It helps you avoid over commitment by knowing when to say yes and when to say no.

When you know your priorities, you can fill your day with life-giving decisions and activities that build the peace-filled life you’ve always wanted.

Questions to Consider

• If someone saw your calendar and bank account, what would she think is your biggest priority? What adjustment do you need to make to align your resources with your big rock priorities?
• What is an area of stress and anxiety for you right now? What changes can you make to better support your big rock priorities that may reduce your anxiety?
• Name something or someone you are grateful for today. Send them a text letting them know how much you appreciate them. Spend some time thanking God for the blessings He’s given you.