The Cost of Misplaced Priorities

Many years ago, a well-known college head football coach divorced his wife of 26 years after leaving the collegiate coaching ranks to become a head coach in the NFL. When coaching at the collegiate level, he maintained the appearance of a marriage because it was expected for special events and social occasions. However, the day he was named an NFL head coach, he set out to rid himself of this necessary appearance. He later confessed that he rarely celebrated birthdays or Christmas with his children because he simply didn’t have the time. His only goal was to win a world championship—and nothing and no one was going to get in the way. Sadly, the misplaced priorities of this coach carried a heavy price.

In a similar way, King Ahab’s response to Ben-hadad’s demands reveals a tragic truth: he was willing to surrender his silver, gold, wives, and children without a fight, but he drew the line at “everything (he) considered valuable.” This raises an important question: What did Ahab truly treasure? What was so important to him that it was worth resisting, while his own family was easily given up?

This passage challenges us to examine our own priorities. Like Ahab, we can sometimes be blind to what truly matters. We may strive for success, wealth, position, power, title, recognition, or comfort—but at what cost? If we neglect our family, faith, and the people God has entrusted to our care in pursuit of worldly gains, then sadly, we are making the same mistake as King Ahab.

Misplaced priorities can have devastating consequences. When work, entertainment, or personal ambitions become more important than investing in the relationships God has entrusted to us, we risk losing what is most precious—our loved ones. Children grow up without parental guidance, marriages suffer from neglect, our influence becomes meaningless, and our spiritual lives grow dry and distant from God. The things we think are important may ultimately be worthless if they come at the expense of our family and faith.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:21:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

If our hearts are fixed on the wrong priorities, we will sacrifice what is truly valuable without even realizing it. However, if we seek God first, He will help us realign our misplaced priorities.

Listen Closely: Take a moment to evaluate your life. Are there areas where your priorities have shifted away from God and your family? When you’re at home, are you really at home? What changes can you make to ensure you are treasuring what truly matters? Learn from King Ahab’s mistake and guard against anything that would cause you to trade your loved ones for possessions, titles, positions, power, or relationships that will never bring lasting satisfaction.

Realign misplaced priorities.