God's Order of Operation
Have you seen the phrase "God, Family, Business"?
Some companies have it plastered on their wall,
Some make it a part of their company value system,
Some make it a phrase to live by...
But what does it really mean to DO "God, Family, Business"?
Have you heard the phrase "ORDER of operation"?
Like it sounds, it has to do with the order of doing something.
The phrase is a MATH terminology.
It's used for solving math problems such as...
2+1 x 10 % 5 - 3 = ___
Remember math class? ^_^ (or would rather not)
The trick to solving this problem has to do with the ORDER of what you do first such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
When you have all these in one equation, it makes a BIG difference which one is done first.
For example...
For the same math problem, if you do it in one order (do the multiplication and division first) you can end up with 1 as the answer or if you do it in a different order (do the additional and subtraction first) you can end up with 15.
The RULES for this sequence is called the "order of operation".
Similarly, the ORDER of priority in our life MATTERS.
God has His ORDER to guide us in all parts of our life.
So the question is, what is God's ORDER?
Is it "God, Family, Business"?
If so, what does that really look like in real life?
So let's go through the EXPANDED version of the phrase and see what hidden treasures we can find...
"But all things should be done decently and in order."
GOD
1. Personal Relationship with God (Alone Time)
FAMILY
2. You (Self-care)
3. Spouse
4. Kids
BUSINESS
5. Business
6. Church
7. Everyone else
1. Personal Relationship with God
The MOST important thing between you and God is your PERSONAL relationship with Him.
Everything you do flows from that.
Meaning, do you set aside PERSONAL private time with God each day?
Is He a priority in your schedule?
Do you see your time with Him as precious and a non-negotiable?
It should be.
This means you protect your PERSONAL God time more than you do your business, more than you do with your spouse or your kids.
Oh, yeah. Now it's getting real.
It is your PERSONAL relationship with God that fills you with His goodness and love that allows you to share that with others.
If your PERSONAL relationship with God is NOT your solid foundation, then what you do for Him has the danger of coming from obligation, duty, fear or performance.
Just like you don't want a relationship with your spouse or kids based on those things, neither does God.
2. You (Self-care)
This is probably the most COUNTER-intuitive one for most people.
Wait, if you're truly giving and loving, shouldn't you put everyone else before you?
On the surface that sounds like sacrificial love, but in reality it's a disaster waiting to happen. Here's what I mean.
If you're a car, you need to make sure you do your maintenance and care so that the car will run smoothly for a long time. A well taken care of car can go hundreds of thousands of miles, but a neglected car will start having problems before it's first 100,000.
Similarly, if you don't take care of your body, your physical, and spiritual health, you're just like a neglected car waiting to fall apart.
God WANTS you to have good self-care. Of course this is not a permission slip to be a selfish brat, but it is putting a spotlight back on the importance of taking good care of God's temple, your body.
Specifically, a healthy morning routine that starts with God is a MUST. Always make time for the God and allow Him to be LORD of your life as well as your savior.
Then take time to eat healthy, get plenty of sleep and exercise.
These seem like basic things but how many entrepreneurs run with their hair is on fire and don't eat or sleep properly?
How many jump out of bed and look at their phone first thing in the morning before spending time with God?
How many entrepreneurs do so much FOR their kids but don't know how to be present WITH their kids?
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
Remember that God is a god of abundance and when we follow His ORDER, we will have OVERFLOW or peace and love, not of crazy and restless.
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."
Don't wait till you die and go to heaven to experience this.
This is a promise for here on earth so we can be a witness of God's goodness and share it with others.
God wants us to be EXAMPLES of how to live with His ORDER in place.
Running ourselves into the ground completely unaware of self-care is not God's wisdom on display.
We need to find the balance that God has for us as His children and His royal heirs.
3. Spouse, then 4. Kids
This is a tricky one where the kids can easily swap places with spouse unintentionally. It's a "YES and YES" answer. YES it's important to love your kids and provide for them and YES it is critically important to protect your relationship with your spouse and not drain it for the sake of the children.
Protect your private quality time with your spouse and make it a priority because when your spousal relationship is strong, the kids benefit from it as well. How you do spousal relationship is how they will do it as well. Give them something to model. God's model. God's ORDER.
5. Business
Notice how business is AFTER self-care, after spouse, after family.
How many entrepreneurs put business before spouse, kids and family?
How many think it's easier to deal with business than family dynamics? ^_^
But that doesn't make it right.
Some might even justify it by saying the business provides the lifestyle for the family, but the truth is the family long past survival mode and now they just want YOU. Quality time with YOU. They want you to be PRESENT when you're with them. They want you to just chill out and hang with them instead of being distracted. They want to be your #1 in the time you have with them.
As entrepreneurs we can get ADDICTED to work so that if we're not working we feel like we're being "unproductive" as if that's a great sin.
Let's be clear.
As entrepreneurs our problem is NOT being unproductive, it's being OVER-productive.
You know you're addicted if you don't know how to just relax and be PRESENT with your family.
If this is the case, just know that you have made business and productivity your idol. Productivity is what you worship and put above your spouse, your family and God's ORDER.
This can be a slippery slope we don't even know we've climbed on top of.
However, the solution is simple.
Ask God for help.
I did.
Acknowledge the problem and let God know you want to fix it.
Spend time with God daily and ask Him for the next step on how to re-program your brain around this.
Look to scripture on topics of surrender, trusting and waiting.
God's got you!
6. Church
Notice how church is AFTER everything else?
Church is NOT the same as your PERSONAL relationship with God.
This means that church does not come before your self-care, spouse or kids. Many have mistaken where church or ministry to be a part of the #1 God slot and made it more important than spouse or family or even made it a substitute for their PERSONAL relationship with God.
When it comes to ministry, your first ministry is your family. First your spouse then your children. If you don't do that right, I can't see God giving you a round of applause in heaven saying "Good job neglecting your relationship with your wife and son to build this ministry."
I don't think so.
If you save 1000 people but your children and spouse hate you or God because of it, did you do the right thing?
Is that all that God is capable of?
Or did you underestimate God and take things into your own hands and mix up priorities in an un-Godly way?
Remember that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light".
Under the guise of ministry, Satan can get you to sacrifice all sorts of things that God never wanted you to.
Satan loves to use shiny things like ministry as an excuse to tear apart families. You must be aware of these tactics.
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
Anything out of God's ORDER and timing is liable to be a disaster.
Don't fall for this Satan's cheap trick.
Stay true to God's ORDER of operation.
"Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me lay down my order of operation and adopt YOURS.
May Your priorities be my priorities,
May what you cherish most become what I cherish most.
Grant me the desires of YOUR heart,
And make all your plans for me succeed.
Most importantly,
Help me make YOU #1 in my life,
Help me experience a new version of You I never knew was possible.
Show up and show off, Lord,
In Jesus name I pray, Amen."
Cheers to God's ORDER Of operation all the way!
Wohooo!!!
