Put God first

By Judy Joseph McSween

Time Out Specialist – Emotional Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence Coach.

Peace be with you. In this segment of the Self-Awareness and Self-Management series, we explore “Put God first”.

Let’s begin with a pause, as we become fully present and available to what God may want to rest in our hearts. Take a deep breath in, breathing in peace … breathe out, releasing all anxiety. Repeat this three times. Have your Bible close at hand.

Proverbs 3:6 proclaims, “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”

What does it mean to put God first?

What do these three words conjure up for you? The responses I have received are as varied as our personal experiences and where we are on our spiritual journeys.

For some, putting God first is about our immediate thoughts, words and actions, as we greet the dawn.

For others, it is our adherence to religious practices—prayer time, novenas, feast days, sacraments, the commandments, Sunday Mass.

Yet others see it as acknowledging the work of the Creator in all of Creation and the protection of Creation.

For others, having God both central and encompassing all our decisions, relationships, and daily routines.

Putting God first embraces all the above. It is about aligning ourselves with God’s will.  Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God”; Psalm 119:36–38, “Bend my heart to your will.”

Do we put God first? 

The above definition usually segues into the question—am I supposed to pause every minute and ask myself what would Jesus do? We make it sound like a painful task, rather than an action that emanates from our love of God.

The words, ‘praise God’ may readily roll off our tongues and lips in times of joy.  However, our first response when things don’t go our way—the unexpected occurs, conflicts arise, we suffer loss, we are faced with multiple road traffic penalties or the annoying neighbour, or our idea is the best and others don’t seem to get it—may not be considered a God-first response. We attempt to take control, seek guidance from a friend or even virtual friends.

It’s possible that God does not begin to feature in our decision-making until our brains appear devoid of solutions. Meanwhile the Holy Spirit is within us, waiting patiently to guide and direct us. When the chips are down, when we are under pressure, we may not as readily put God first.

Unconscious vs being intentional

The Daily Examen, an Ignatian spiritual practice, helps us in converting what could be a painful task into a natural way of BEING. The Examen is a method of reviewing our day in the presence of God. It’s an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in our everyday life:

• Ask God for Light—I want to look at my day with God’s eyes, not merely my own.
• Give thanks—The day I have just lived is a gift from God. Be grateful for it.
• Review the day—I carefully look back on the day just completed, being guided by the Holy Spirit.
• Face your shortcomings—I face up to what is wrong in my life and in me.
• Look toward the day to come—I ask where I need God in the day to come.

As we engage in this daily practice, we become increasingly aware that there are areas of our lives in which we unconsciously put God first. There are also areas in which our ego seems to bolt out of the stables like a runaway racehorse.

We take control until in frustration, exhaustion, desperation, we surrender and lay our burdens down at the foot of the cross. We ask God to take the reins. It is in these areas that we need to be intentional. It is in these areas that we need to ask God for the grace required for us to put Him first.

REFLECTION – The Daily Examen

To schedule a Time Out Retreat with Judy, email judy@timeoutspecialist.com or WhatsApp 684-9827.