What Matters Most

by: Cris Corzine-McCloskey

I recently caught myself giving Jesus advice. I kid you not. While praying for a friend I began telling Him what she needed and what verses He should use to encourage her. In my heart, I could almost hear Him chuckle, and I realized how absurd I was. I was presuming to tell the Creator of the Universe how to help somebody. And I was begging Him to help her as if I cared more about her than He did. Her crisis had reduced me to a state of panic, and I was telling Jesus what He needed to do to fix her.

This is not the first time I have given the Almighty advice on how to run the Universe or change peoples hearts, but it is the first time I realized I was doing it. It’s made me think.

When it comes to my clients, I am comfortable with their journey. I will remind them it’s a process, and I enjoy watching the small victories. I don’t get intimidated by setbacks. I know Jesus is in it, and I settle back and watch them grow.

However, when it’s someone close to me, I get squirmy. I don’t like the process for them because it scares me. I want God to fix them and fix them fast. Stick a patch on them and pump them up with a can of Fix a Flat. Whatever He has to do to keep them truckin’ along. That’s been my focus.

My favorite evangelist, Dan Mohler, spoke at my church this weekend. He said something that will stick with me for a lifetime. He said, “you can’t let something matter more than what matters most.” That hit me like thunder. I realized I was letting my friend’s crisis take my eyes off what matters most.

What matters most is Jesus and His love for a dying world full of people in crisis. What matters most is God, who so loved the world He sent the best He had, His Son, to rescue us from sin and death. He sees every one of us as so precious we were worth dying for, and He puts His Spirit inside us to light up the darkness. He came to seek and save that which is lost. I want to be a part of that mission. My life is no longer my own, and I couldn’t be happier about it!

There is a place in scripture where Jesus tells us if we want to be His disciples, our love for Him needs to totally eclipse our love for our family and friends (Matthew 10:37). That’s challenging because most of the time I just want Him to keep my loved ones safe and healthy. In other words, my love for Jesus is too often based on Him protecting my favorite people. My list of VIPs. That means I have let them matter more than what matters most. I’m not okay with that anymore. Jesus is Lord, and I want His glory to be my passion.

Does that mean I stop praying for those I love? Nope. I will still be praying, but there will be a lot more faith and a lot less fear involved. I know as much as I love them, they are not what my life is about. My life is found in Him, and He lives in me. If you are a believer, He lives in you. If you aren’t a believer, you still haven’t found what matters most. But here is the ultimate irony. You are at the top of His VIP list, and you are His “what matters most.” If you ever want to talk about this, give me a call at Caring Counseling at 997-2129. I would love to talk to you about how much He loves you!