Learning a new language, being involved in the lives of people, and becoming a physician to serve a practical need and gain opportunities to share the gospel… These are accounts I heard from the new friend I made over a glass of kombucha.

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The constant thread as we talked was an intentionality and devotion to focusing on what God called him and his family to do. Not just in the moment but often in times of extensive preparation and work so that people could be genuinely cared for and loved. What stood out the most was one of the ways he demonstrated to people what was truly valuable to him: My friend shared how he would save money so that he and his family could charter a plane on trips to meet people in remote villages.

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Typical practice was for physicians to fly out, see patients, and promptly return home. Instead, he would take his entire family along for days at a time – communicating to the people in the villages that he and his family were all-in on caring for them!

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Now, let that sink in for a moment – the time, money, effort, and focus it took to go to such great lengths. These were people living out their calling to meet people right where they are in a radical way and demonstrating where their priorities were to those God had called them to reach.

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Do you ever think about how your time, your thoughts, and/or your resources align with what you value most? Is there consistency between what you say is most important and what you spend your time thinking, praying, and learning about? Do the influences you watch, listen to, or spend time around breathe life into what you prioritize? What keeps us most from the life we were designed for isn’t always overtly in opposition to that. Often, it’s the constant distractions or subtle influences that, over time, draw us further from Jesus and the life we were created for. As you answer these questions, does it reflect what you say is important or tell a different story?

As I honestly reflect on these questions, I see the discrepancy between what I think is most important and what I actually prioritize in my free time. The good news is, it's not too late. We can decide right now that things will be different moving forward. Maybe that’s spending less time scrolling social media, not zoning out in front of the TV, or whatever your go-to vice is. Maybe it's engaging with those things differently so that it's feeding what you value you most. I want to invite you to try something with me. Every time you think about picking up your phone, flipping on the tv, or whatever that thing is for you, ask Jesus what he has for you first. Sit and give him your attention. Whatever he prompts you to remove, replace it with what brings life, meaningful rest, time with him, and community.