The Right Choice Over the Good Choice: A Lesson in Priorities

Matthew 6:33 reminds us, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God’—but sometimes the path to that kingdom requires choosing between two seemingly godly options.

This week, a conflict arose in my calendar between what I like to do and what is best.

I teach a Sunday morning Bible class and enjoy it. It gives me purpose and meaning while using my God-given talents. It is something I never miss.

But my grandson is leaving kindergarten for the first grade over the summer. My daughter’s congregation presents graduating kindergarteners with a Bible to mark their progress.

I wanted to teach on Sunday, but I wanted to see my grandson get his Bible even more.

So, I made the call to miss Sunday’s class for family.

I came to the decision due to my daughter’s example.

Our granddaughter plays volleyball, and someone who feels God is unimportant switched their tournament schedule from Saturday to Sunday morning.

Our granddaughter wanted to play, but her mother was adamant. She said she needed her to see what was right. So amid the disappointment, she will be at church.

I am proud of my daughter for the stand.

And it clarified my own thinking. Do what is right over anything else.

It has been said, “Never put in first place what belongs in second.”

I read a story by the late Harvard professor Clay Christensen about the same challenge. After winning a Rhodes scholarship, he went to school at Oxford. The tall, lanky Christensen was a superb basketball player who led the Oxford team to the British equivalent of the NCAA Final Four.

He had an established value of Sunday reserved for family and God. When they scheduled the most important game on Sunday, he told his coach he would not play. Pressure from fellow players built, but he stood firm. If it were Sunday, no basketball.

In his book How Do You Measure Your Life, he says the first exception allows all exceptions.

So as much as I would like to teach a lesson I have already prepared, something vital beckons.

It’s the lesson of a lifetime. Keep the first things first.