First Things First (01/06/2026)

One of the first lessons I learned in life was “First things first.” I needed to put on my socks before my shoes. I needed to put on my shirt before I brushed my hair. “First things first.” Over the years, I added other “first things” like turn on the oven first, then make the pie. But of all the first things, the key one is to pray. Pray before I start my day, pray before I start my trip, pray before I start the class, pray before we eat our meal. Pray first.

We will learn many lessons in life. In fact, our lives are all about learning. And while the LORD gave us an intellect and free will, the smartest thing we can do before we embark upon anything is to begin in the LORD, to seek His grace, to seek His direction, and to seek the will to surrender to His will for us knowing that no one loves us more than LORD nor desires greater things for us than the LORD.

St. Paul spoke beautifully about this, about our rightful reliance upon the LORD when he told the Athenians that the LORD is “Him in whom we live and move and have our being.” We know from scriptures that the LORD is first, before all else, the creator of all good. If our aim in life is to bring more good to the world, it makes sense to begin in Him.

This day, as do whatever we are individually called to do and meet whatever challenges are sent our way, may we take care of the first things first. May we open ourselves to His love and guidance, acquiesce to His wisdom and will, and then proceed to act as His instruments. “First things first.”

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.