triage

noun

1.

the determination of priorities for action in an emergency.

I've watched enough episodes of Grey's Anatomy and ER in my day to understand the concept of triage - a method of assigning degrees of urgency in a situation. Mothering three small children has given me firsthand experience. At almost any given moment in the day, one of my kids is crying. I learned quickly that the loudest child isn't necessarily the most urgent need. For example, the screaming baby that is safely buckled into the highchair may seem to be top priority. However, the quiet 2 year old precariously climbing furniture in the other room probably warrants more attention. I call these the "silent killers." This is purely hypothetical.....right.

Every day, I'm faced with the overwhelming task of parenting these little people. These wonderful, sweet, demanding, and needy little people. The reality is that I'm one person and I have to make a hundred decisions a day to prioritize their needs. There's no alternative. It's the only way to make it through a day. 

Unfortunately, I don't triage my life in nearly the same way. Too often, my time with the Lord takes a quiet backseat. I don't view it as an emergency until I have a total meltdown day and realize that I'm running on empty. I am confident that God will always be there and I use that knowledge to justify pushing off time with him. This is something that is a very real struggle for me - right now. This isn't something that I struggled with once upon a time and now feel confident sharing because I've overcome it. This is life. Right now. It's the silent killer. The "urgent" demands of the day (cleaning, cooking, social media, etc.) crowd out the important demands of the day. 

This isn't the first time I've come to this realization and I'm sure it won't be the last. It feels good to put it into words, though and I'm comforted (again) by the words of Paul in Philippians 1:6, "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."