Matt at Gad(d)about is wrestling with priorities and how to keep them in balance. This is a common problem for any Christian who takes his or her commitment to Christ seriously and wants to glorify Him in all aspects of life.

Like many others, Matt orders his responsibilities hierarchically:

1. God
2. Family
3. Work
4. College football

(Many here in Texas would take issue with college football being so low, but we must respect Matt’s values however confused they might be. Personally, being from Indiana, I would rank basketball quite high on such a list.)

The top three priorities that Matt identifies are usually found in that order for most evangelical Christians: God, being the source of life and power, must be first in our individual lives; our family - and within the family, the marriage - comes second as our most pressing earthly responsibility, and work - which is the will of God for us (Eph 6:6) - is third. Ministry, i.e., discharging our duties as ambassadors for Christ and members of the Body, is usually fourth on the list, followed by other responsibilities such as extended family, neighbors, social duties, etc.

On the one hand, such a list of priorities is useful in identifying various aspects of our lives and for making decisions; on the other hand, however, the list can be a source of pressure and guilt. It is hard to accomplish everything on it and there are usually more priorities than minutes in the day.

Perhaps there is another way to think of our priorities, a way that does not seem quite so imposing or feel like the sword of Damocles waiting to fall upon us. It has to do with a Lazy Susan.

For those unfamiliar with a Lazy Susan, it is (was?) a common decoration on many dining tables in the 60s and 70s. It would sit in the middle of the table with condiments, food, or whatever on it and those sitting at the table would spin it in order to reach what they needed. (As a young boy, of course, I wanted to see how fast I could spin it before things flew all over the table and my family members. Usually it would go fast enough to result in me having knots on my head from my father’s knuckles!)

I tend to look at life and my responsibilities as a Lazy Susan, with God being the holy Turntable. He has given me all the responsibilities on the Lazy Susan and it is up to me to deal with whatever one is before me at any given time. Because the wheel is in motion, my focus constantly changes according to whatever He puts in front of me.

Everything that I do is in service to Him, i.e., the Holy Lazy Susan. There is no competition between Him and my family or work or anything else: when I love my wife, do my job, or share the gospel I am worshiping and serving Him. When I pause to attend to the Lazy Susan itself (i.e., when I have devotions, pray, study, or fellowship), I am also attending to everything on the turntable. As the saying goes, “The woodsman does not waste his time when he pauses to sharpen his axe.”

Of course, I still must make decisions. Sometimes work is pressing and so is family: I have to make a choice, but it is not a moral decision, i.e., a matter of right or wrong. It is a question of counting on God to give me wisdom so that I can make a good decision. Whatever I wind up doing, however, is in service to Him. It requires faith that He’ll honor my best efforts so as to accomplish His will in my life.

Paul says that it is in God that “we live and move and exist” (Ac 17:28); that everything rests upon the Lazy Susan reflects this: nothing I do is outside of Him and everything I do is important. The simplest, most mundane activities - such as this blog, for example - is significant because it transpires in Him.

Knowing that everything is “on Him” gives me a sense of freedom along with responsibility. I move through my life with an awareness that it is all ministry, all within His plan and purposes, not outside His sphere of interest or control, and that He will give me wisdom and empower me if I will listen to and trust in Him. I do not feel pulled in several directions at the same time, trusting that God will take care of me as I take care of my responsibilities to the best of my abilitiy at that particular moment.

I make mistakes and poor choices at times, of course, but everything is still on the Lazy Susan. What I might have missed the first time will assuredly come back around in time. Getting everything done is not ultimately up to me: God has not given me more to do than I am able to accomplish. I have to do what is before me, spin the Lazy Susan when necessary to shift my focus, and trust that He will give me wisdom.

At the end of the day I usually fall asleep knowing that, while I did not accomplish everything on my priority list, God has not been thwarted in achieving His purposes for me and my family. Neither He nor His program is my responsibility in the final analysis; rather, I am His responsibility and He has promised to care for me.


2 Cor 1.13