Multiemparejamiento para curvas BN

to do things that are not really necessary. To avoid overcommitting and to keep from becoming entangled in distracting activities, you must establish a hierarchy of priorities.

What Comes First?

Our Relationship with Our Creator Maintaining a clear and open relationship with God our Source is our first priority. He is the author of our lives and the initiator of our visions, and we must endeavor to maintain a vital connection with Him at all times.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

(John 1:1–4)

For in him we live and move and have our being.(Acts 17:28) Our Relationship with Our Family

The pursuit of our visions should not cause us to overlook our families. Paul wrote, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

Because leadership demands the giving of oneself to others, no leader’s time is fully his own. His gifts, talents, and experience are employed in service to others. Leaders belong to

their generations and not to themselves. This has a direct effect on their families, close friends, and others dear to them.

Jesus found Himself in this situation at the age of twelve when, after staying behind in Jerusalem to speak with the teachers in the temple, He had to say to His earthly parents, “Why were you searching for me?…Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). Yet He always respected Mary and Joseph. “They did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them” (vv. 50–51).

Your family’s needs are not negated by the needs of your vision. As you seek God and make plans for carrying out your vision, make sure you have not neglected your most important responsibility next to God. The leader must be careful to strike a balance between serving people and meeting his family responsibilities and other obligations. On the other hand, it is difficult for a leader to function unless his family members are willing to make some sacrifices. This is why it is important for spouses to understand the leadership call on their husbands or wives.

Your family members may not always understand or support your vision. However, this should not cause you to be careless toward them or to disregard them. “God has called us to live in peace” (1 Corinthians 7:15). Moreover, as you pursue your purpose and are inspired by your vision, God will enable you to provide for your family, and you may inspire them through your passion for your purpose. The support of our families encourages and strengthens us. Do all you can to share your

vision with those closest to you.

Our Current Obligations

Until we are released from our current obligations, we must fulfill them to the best of our abilities. For example, if you desire to leave your job in order to pursue your true vision, you must remain a faithful worker in that capacity until you are released from it. There may be other areas of obligation, as well. As you prioritize your vision, you can begin to drop unnecessary or distracting elements in your life. You will be able to eliminate some obligations right away. Others may take some time. In the meantime, you can commit them to God to use for His glory.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

Priorities Specific to Vision

Prioritizing your vision means taking an honest look at how you currently spend your time, money, and other resources, and thoroughly examining how these should be reordered to enable you to fulfill your purpose. While this paring away may seem difficult at first, it will be well worth it when you see the rewards of moving toward your purpose.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.(Hebrews 12:11)

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish

because of her joy that a child is born into the world.(John 16:21)

When you can see your vision clearly, it helps you to reorder your priorities so that you can train, prepare, and provide for your vision.

How to Reorder Your Priorities The decisions we make inevitably reveal our current priorities. For example, while our bodies need adequate rest, sometimes we use fatigue as an excuse to delay work on our visions while we relax in front of the television. We have to realize that there will probably never be a “perfect” time to begin pursuing our visions. Yet there is a right time, which is the present.

The following are some examples of areas in which you need to assess your current priorities. Then, reorder them, as needed, in line with your vision. Decide on new priorities that will take you to your vision, such as taking a class, learning more about finances, or developing a skill. Realize, of course, that there will be important “interruptions” in your life that will need to be addressed. Don’t schedule yourself so rigidly that an unexpected event or emergency could throw off your entire life. Provide for emergencies and balance in your life, but also plan for steady progress toward your vision.

Time: How much time are you spending on your relationship with God, your relationships with family, your church, work, types of entertainment, sports,

volunteering, hobbies, and so forth? What areas need more time? Less time? What should you be spending time on to fulfill your vision?

Knowledge/Education: What knowledge and information are you taking in? How does it relate to your purpose? What specific knowledge and education do you need to fulfill your vision?

Finances and other resources: What are you spending your money on? Where are you investing it? How are you managing other resources in your life? How does your use of money and other resources relate to your vision?

Health: What priorities do you have in relation to your health, and how do these priorities affect your vision?

Avoiding Peer Pressure and Double-Mindedness Earlier, we talked about the importance of independent decision-making in maintaining discipline. This quality applies directly to determining one’s priorities in life. Good leaders are people who can think on their own. They don’t think independently of God but of other people’s opinions. Can you imagine what would have been the outcome if Moses had asked for the recommendation of the people in the face of the various dilemmas the Israelites encountered in the wilderness?

The nation never would have reached the Promised Land. As we discussed earlier, a true leader doesn’t follow the crowd.

God uses people who think independently. Again, leaders do

not ignore the opinions or contributions of others; rather, they weigh the value of all input and then make their own decisions.

A good leader also does not depend on people’s opinions to confirm God’s will for his life. If God tells you to do something, be careful with whom you discuss it, especially at first, because you’ll get many opinions. Seek God and His Word to make sure you have heard clearly from Him. Then, share your vision with others as seems wise and timely.

There is a good example of independent thinking in Joshua’s life. He took the people of Israel into the Promised Land after Moses died, telling them,

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.(Joshua 24:15)

Now that’s what I call a leader! Notice, he didn’t deny that other options were available to the Israelites. He didn’t ignore the fact that there were other “gods” to serve, or that the other nations had things that looked attractive. He simply said, “As for me and my household….” He came to his own conclusion.

Are you an independent thinker?

Jesus displayed the quality of independent decision-making during an encounter with His earthly family. In John 7:1–9, His brothers attempted to influence Him to go to Judea and make Himself known to the world. Even in the face of His own family,

He declared, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right” (v. 6). Following the right timing is part of setting priorities.

When people fail to make progress toward fulfilling their visions, it is often because they haven’t learned that prioritizing creates useful limits on their choices. Focused choices are essential because they enable you to reach your destination.

Chapter Thirteen