“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I studied in France my junior year of college. At the end of the year I invited my mom and sister to come travel around Europe with me for a couple of weeks. We had a great time and went to many interesting places. But unfortunately there was one cloud over us the whole time, dampening our spirits.

My sister invited her friend Chris. Chris was a perfectly nice person, but she was a terrible traveling companion. That’s because she was stuck at home, mentally and emotionally.

All Chris talked about was whatever drama was transpiring at home or the friends she and my sister knew and what was going on with them. We could be walking through the Louvre in Paris, gazing at the great works of art in hushed tones, but Chris would ignore all that and want to chatter about some gossip she’d just heard.

When we ventured out to explore the local neighborhoods, Chris just wanted to return to the hotel to use the wifi and eat at a familiar chain restaurant.

Chris took selfies in front of amazing landmarks to share with her friends, but I’m not sure she actually saw the landmarks or knew or cared anything about their significance.

It was draining and disappointing. Even my sister regretted inviting her along. But I’ll say one thing about Chris — I definitely knew what she cared about!

And actually, God wants me to be a little like Chris in this world. Not annoying, but focused on my true “home.”

Although I’m traveling around in this world, my mind, my attention, my concerns… my heart should be with God in His kingdom. His priorities should be my priorities. His interests should be my interests. My focus should be on what’s happening in God’s kingdom over what’s happening in the world.

And the people around me should see that difference in me.

It will aggravate some people because I won’t get as worked up about world events as much as they would like.

And I will bore some people when I do get worked up about things they think are trivial, like caring for the homeless, foreigners, widows, and orphans (like the Bible says should be my priorities.)

Today’s verse reminds me where my priorities should lie.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me a home with you. And thank you for the reminder of what is important and what is not. Forgive me for getting caught up in worrying about things that don’t matter to you. Speak to me about your priorities and goals so that I can return my attention to them instead of the distractions that bombard me every day. I know my main priority is to love, not to worry. Help me to do that today.