It’s that time of year again. That special season that brings so many people together. No, I don’t mean the beginning of spring. I’m not talking about the Easter holiday. It’s time for March Madness.
It’s a time when individuals carefully consider the merits of each team in the NCAA Tournament; predict the outcome of various match-ups; and then sit back and watch. Over the next few weeks, they discuss with great concern the condition of one another’s brackets. They celebrate shared victories and commiserate over unexpected upsets.
In the end, though, they have little control over who comes out ahead. They can cheer. They can scream. But no matter how many hot wings they eat, their ability to affect the outcome of any given matchup is nil.
All this hubbub over hoops has made me think: What if we listed the priorities in our lives and then filled out a bracket according to which ranked the highest? Who would win if you had to choose between Jesus and dusting the furniture? That’s an easy call. Jesus is a number one seed, while for many of us, dusting is lucky to be in the tournament at all. But would “giving of your means” make it out of the first round when pitted against saving for a new car? Or how about bible class vs. American Idol? Would that Wednesday night match-up bust your bracket?
Imagine the types of tough match-ups that would emerge in the final rounds. What if God and family went head to head in the semifinals, for example? That’s a tough match up. It might go to double overtime. We know that we must put God first, but would God emerge as the ultimate champion in our lives as we are told He should? (See Matt. 10:37; 22:36-38.)
When we choose our priorities in life, we are not merely interested observers. We are in control of setting our own priorities and making sure that we act accordingly. So the question becomes, when it’s time to make the tough choices, what will our behavior show? Will our commitment to God triumph over all in our lives?
-Tyler Walker, The Weekly Bulletin, March 15, 2014