God First?

​I often hear the declaration, “I put God first, my spouse second, my children third, all else after them.”  Or, “I put God first, my family second, my job third, all else after them.” It sure sounds righteous to put God first, but frankly I have no clue what it means. Does it mean do daily devotions first thing every morning?  Does it mean fulfill all obligations to the preferred religious organization before slotting in time for anything else?  If spouse is second and a conflict arises between the desires of the spouse and the needs of the children, what takes precedence, the desires or the needs?  My job benefits my family how do I decide the priority.   On and on the confusion spins.  If I think God first, it feels like if I complete all my God-things, as I define them, then I can do my spouse things.  Once those are complete, I can move on to the child things.
 
The statement is way too linear for me!  My life is not lived so discretely with categories of responsibilities assigned first then second then third place.  I cannot think in terms of God first followed by everything else.  It isn’t once my duty to God is complete, I can move on to the rest of my life without regard to God. I must do my life based on my God-things.  My God-things define and direct my ‘life-things’.
 
I wear corrective lens all the time.  In fact, I have done so for 60 years.  I cannot function without them.  
My God-things are like my glasses.  I cannot function well in any of my life without God.  I try to see everything through the lens of faith and obedience.  Only then can I clearly see to prioritize the many demands on my time and energy.  I maintain my glasses through daily cleaning, storing them in protective cases when not in use, and scheduling regular check ups to ensure the prescription is up-to-date.  I maintain my relationship with God through the disciplines of daily devotions, prayer, study, weekly worship and service.  If I fail to maintain my glasses, the world around me becomes indistinct and fuzzy.  If I slack on the disciplines needed to maintain my connection with God, I lose focus on the priority of all the many pulls on my life. 
 
It is not God first then a sequence of other responsibilities.  It is seeing my responsibilities through the lens of God.  I must be intentional about my relationship with God in order to clearly see and prioritize the people and possibilities He sends my way.