Laundry. Checking on aging grandparents. Dishes. Making the beds. Taking my girl to whatever she has going on. Wiping the bathroom counter. Fixing a meal. Chatting about the day’s activities with my husband. Feeding the dog. And the list goes on and on. My everyday, every day tasks are probably pretty similar to yours.

So much of life is about doing the same things over and over. Every day we do the everyday stuff. We check mail and pay bills. We wash dishes and sort laundry. We connect with people, and we make lists. And days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, and months turn into years … and we look back and wonder if we did the things that really matter, the most important things.

Several years ago I read “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.” It’s one of my favorite books because I need to remember what it is to heed Jesus’ patient and loving words to Martha, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

That could easily say, “Teri Lynne, Teri Lynne, you spend so much time giving your attention to so many things … but really only a few matter; actually, only one.”

Can anyone else relate? I’ve spent some time over the past few months considering what really matters, what’s really needed. As I’ve prayed and studied Scripture and watched the lives of people I know who walk closely with the Lord, I’ve identified what, for this season at least, are the five most important things I do every day.

1. Be still. This one doesn’t come easily for me. But I’m learning what it is to practice stillness. The Psalmist wrote, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) In my busy life, it’s easy to keep moving all the time until I finally collapse into bed at night

2. Look people in the eyes. I’m often guilty of hurrying from one task to the next, which means I am also often guilty of not stopping to really listen to people. For me, this has been a lifelong struggle. The best way I have found to force myself to stop and pay attention to the people in my life is to make it a priority to look them in the eyes when they are speaking to me.

3. Write a little. Some days I write a lot and some days I am thrilled to get a few words into a bullet list in my journal. But the practice of writing a little every day has helped me learn to see God at work and to notice the moments I might otherwise miss.

4. Read for at least 15 minutes. Whether it’s the newest book written by a friend or re-reading “Mockingjay” in preparation to see the movie, spending time reading is important for me. Some days I find I squeeze in five minutes here and 10 minutes there, and some nights I stay up way later than I should engrossed in whatever book I’m reading. But making time to read is a priority for me.
The final thing on my list won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me at all …

5. Spend time in the Word. I used to be the girl who had a quiet time mostly so she could check it off the list. Now, I’m the girl who knows the value of Bible study but also knows it doesn’t mean much if I’m not living out what I’m reading. The questions I ask are less about me and more about what I can learn about Him.

My list might not be the same as yours … and that’s perfectly okay. But it’s worth spending some time evaluating what the most important things in your life are. For me, the one thing I need is time with the Lord. The other four I listed are the overflow of the moments I have given to studying the Word and abiding with Him.