First Thing First



This song has been on my mind radio a lot lately. I've been hearing it on the radio in the car, and I noticed something beautiful in the chorus:


First things first

I seek Your will

Not my own

Surrender all my wants to You

to live Your truth

walk Your ways

set my eyes

Lord, I fix my face on you

all my desires reversed

to keep the first thing first


Notice that while the chorus starts out with the plural "things", it ends with the singular - "thing". 

I heard something interesting lately - and I can't remember where. I've been trying for days. Someday I'll remember. The idea was that the plural "priorities" wasn't invented as a word until some time post-industrialism. Prior to that there only existed the singular, "priority". 

A quick Google search shows that the popular opinion is that the word was pluralized in the 1400s. I don't usually take popular opinion as fact, but I haven't done the work to find a solid source on this. 

Whether it's true or not, it got me thinking. How many priorities can a person truly have? Oxford defines priority as:

noun: the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important.

After this idea had been simmering in the back of my mind for a few weeks, I heard the song "First Thing First" again. The first time I heard it, I loved it because it speaks of complete devotion to God - forsaking the things of the world and living with a consecrated heart. 

The next time I heard it, I also noticed their use of the singular "first thing first". 

God is the first thing. Or He should be. If we want to live wholly on His side. 

What if there were no first things? What if there was just one. A first thing. A priority. And then another. one. I think we would soon realize (I sure have been) that they don't all fit. They just don't! The world is full of more good content and ideas and things to do than we could ever even touch. 

We have to choose. 

May the first thing be always regarded and treated as more important. 

May the first thing always be first. 

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