Life’s About Being Really Clear What’s Important to You

Some things seem so important,

The little things, the precious, the few,

Just don’t confuse what’s important,

With what’s not important to you.

The above poem isn’t advocating selfishness. It advocates for clarity of purpose.

One thing we search for, high and low, is for the sense of purpose we know is in life; that we see others living with. We’re easily inspired, and even a little envious, when people find their purpose, plunge forth in faith, and are lauded as success stories. And God wants this for each of his children.

We each come prewired to live such a clarity of purpose that gets us out of bed, makes us strive through the day, where we can be content of an evening. We were all designed to work hard in a real area of passion.

When passion is infused within us, impelling us forward, that work becomes joy.

Now, back to the meaning in the poem above.

So many things can seem important. Stephen Covey said something that’s a problem for us is we get too concerned with many things beyond our influence. He encouraged us to live in the ‘circle of influence’, separating out those other things within the wider ‘circle of concern’. We only have so much conscious room. We only have so much time and energy. God blesses those who understand their limits of time, energy and consciousness. There are plenty of things to be concerned about that orbit in our circle of influence.

There are some things, many that seem so little, that are so precious, and are few.

Important things are those smiles of a child. The nothingness in a breezy silence. The wonder in a mind’s image. But just as much are the dreams that resonate within our hearts. God put those dreams there. And there’s a way to bring a dream to fruition.

The poem is about not confusing what’s truly important — to others, in history, and in the world — with what’s specifically important to you.

God wants us all to ask, “Lord, what have you made me for… for what specific reasons have you made me and purposed for me to be here.” God is so blessed when we take the time and initiative to ask such a simple question, and to meditate there over the lifespan.

In essence, seeking God’s purpose in our lives is seeking his will for our time.

© 2015 Steve Wickham.