Way back in the day, there was an old farmer named Stumpy who had a wife named Martha. Stumpy and Martha scraped by on their farm year by year, and though they didn’t have much, they were happy. But there was one thing that Stumpy really wanted that Martha just wouldn’t allow. Each year, they would go to the State Fair to see the sights and spend a day away from the farm. And each year they had the same conversation.
At the State Fair, there was a pilot who had a biplane. Now, this was back when flying in a plane was a new novelty, and very few people had actually done it, and certainly not a country farmer like Stumpy. The pilot offered rides in his biplane for $10.00. And each year at the fair, Stumpy would say he wanted to go for a ride in that plane. But Martha would always reply, “I know you want to ride on that plan,e Stumpy, but it costs $10.00, and $10.00 is $10.00!
This went on for a few years until one year at the fair, Stumpy was adamant. “Martha, I’m 82 years old, and I want to ride in that plane!” Martha responded with her stock answer, “I know Stumpy, but it costs $10.00 and $10.00 is $10.00!” The pilot happened to be standing close by and heard Stumpy and Martha’s conversation. “Folks,” he intervened, “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll take both of you up and make you a deal. If you can be quiet and not say a word or make a noise the entire flight, I won’t charge you a thing. But if you make one noise, I’ll charge you $10.00 for both of you.”
Stumpy and Martha agreed. How hard could it be to go on a short flight in a biplane and not make any noise? And that way, Stumpy would get his ride, and it wouldn’t cost anything. Stumpy and Martha climbed into the back seat of the plane; the pilot climbed into the front, and off they went into the wild blue yonder.
The pilot, determined to get his $10.00, did all kinds of aerobatic maneuvers. Flips, spins, climbs, dives, all to try to get Stumpy and Martha to make a sound. But they never did. After a while, he gave up and brought the plane down, landing softly. He cut off the engine and said over his shoulder to Stumpy, “I’m amazed you didn’t make a sound that whole flight!” Stumpy replied, “I started to yell when Martha fell out, but you know, $10.00 is $10.00!”
I guess everyone has their priorities, right? Sometimes it can feel like our lives are constantly being pulled in so many different directions, and we’re always trying to figure out our priorities. With so many things that need to be done, places to go, and appointments to keep. Work, school, family, church, meetings, clubs, deadlines, appointments, commitments…how do we juggle it all, and what really should be our priority?
Trying to figure out what is really a priority in life isn’t anything new. As a matter of fact, it’s been going on since the very beginning. Look back through the history of the world in the Bible, and you’ll find that humans are constantly having to make decisions about what’s really of utmost importance in their lives, what their priorities are going to be. And the one thing that is consistent throughout the scriptures is this: if we make God the priority in our lives, He will carry us through all the other stuff.
All the way back in the book of Deuteronomy, thousands of years ago, God said:
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
(Deuteronomy 6:5)
If you’re giving all your heart, soul, and strength to something, then it’s going to be your priority.
And King Solomon wrote in Proverbs:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
See, that’s a priority with a promise, He will take care of you. But that can be a hard promise to grasp sometimes when the bills are due, the money’s short, the Doctors appointments are filling the calendar, and the hard reality of life crowds in. But try to remember what Jesus told the people on the Sermon on the Mount:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
(Matthew 6:25-27, 33)
See, it’s a priority with a promise. Seek after Him first, make Him your priority, and He’ll take care of everything else.
There are going to be a lot of wants and needs and things competing for space in our lives today, and they will be again tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and…well, until Jesus comes back. Put Him first, and He will help you to manage all the others.
And if you go flying in a biplane with your spouse, be sure to buckle up.
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