Sometimes we need to stop and take a real look at what's going on in our hearts and our lives. What has power in my life? Who has influence over me? And if God isn't the first authority—by a mile—then it's time to reorder. It's time to get back to relationship with Him above everything else.

Because Jesus isn't meant to be one priority among many. We can't balance our pursuit of Him with other things, even good things. The only way to living intensely with the Lord—the only way to become a saint—is to accept sacrifice. It'll cost you something, perhaps even a good thing that you'd really rather not give up. But it's worth it.

Living this way, with Christ, protects us from being tossed around in whatever storms are raging. (And it's been a stormy year.) With Christ, the world and its storms no longer dictate our mood or determine whether we feel unsettled or unsafe. God alone is in control of our peace.

So if you're sensing distractions or attachments or clutter in your life that are keeping you from God; if you're holding on to one thing that's actually holding you back from Him; if you've been thinking about letting go of something that's keeping you from being all in with God… now's the time. Drop it and return to God. Return to your first love.