I was having dinner with some dear friends this last week, and we sat for a long time at the table chatting and sharing what was on our hearts. My friend, Sandy, talked about a colleague who had been having trouble conceiving and how much this woman longed for a baby. I guess that sort of longing is something so many of us as women understand; it's rooted deep within us, a God-given, God-formed part of our feminine creatureliness. It’s not something to be ashamed of, or something to be eradicated either.

Sandy said to her colleague, who wasn’t a believer as far as she knew, ’It says something in the bible about that sort of thing – it says ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will come your way’ (Matthew 6:33).

‘How did she respond?’ I asked.

‘Oh, as we talked, she realised that she’d got perspectives wrong and that she had left God out of her life altogether. She came on an Alpha course that the church nearby was running and everything started to make sense for her, she started to put God first and develop a relationship with Him. Then just recently I heard that she is pregnant!’

Well, what a wonderful ending to the story! But it set me thinking that it’s very easy for anyone to get perspectives wrong, Christian or non-Christian. I too can get so focussed on something to do with the kingdom of this earth, like healing, or some money I need, or my children’s future, that that becomes what I put first, even in my prayers, and not the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It has made me seriously consider what I’m putting first in my thinking and desires, because so many of those desires can look quite righteous and holy, but they can all too easily become idols if they take the place of God as supreme in my life. But the other side of the coin is that when I put God first, suddenly life doesn’t seem so heavy and the cares of everyday find their right place. It’s easier to pray and worship too, since my heavenly Father knows what I need and that gives me more time to just enjoy my relationship with him! Try it – it’s the only way to live!