First Things and Second Things

CS Lewis wrote in an essay in 1942, “'You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first”.

So, what are first things and what are second? Great question. In an attempt to answer that question, I offer the following: First things are the goals that are given priority as the primary and ultimate aim in life. Second things are subordinate goals or aims - which are justified in terms of the extent to which they assist in pursuing First Things.

We all have “things” in our lives that become priorities at different times and seasons of life. When I was farming in North Dakota, one of my things was for the farm to be profitable year to year. I think that was a good “thin.” So, I pursued it actively. I prepared the ground for seed. Selected and planted good seed. Kept the weeds at bay so I could maximize yield while balancing the cost of doing so, because my first thing was for the operation to be profitable. I harvested my crop in a timely manner and tried to sell it at the highest price I could. All of this was driven by the first thing of making sure the farm operation was profitable. Which is a good thing right?

 Well, one year was devastating. We had an abundance of rain and even some hail that certainly cut into profits. A crop adjuster came to the farm to evaluate our losses, and while we had lots of rain that reduced quality and quantity, we had only a little bit of hail that would qualify for submitting a loss to the insurance company. Without going into too much detail, the crop adjuster made an error on his final calculation giving me a significant six figure increase in the insurance payout. He handed me the final settlement to sign, and I am convinced, with all the loss regionally, it would have been paid without question and my farm would have seen some profit that year.

However, I had to evaluate first things and second things at that point. If my first thing was truly making a profit, I would not have hesitated to receive those ill-gotten gains. However, when push came to shove, I had something else in first place. My own integrity was a higher priority than making a profit. I am not being boastful here as I have made so many mistakes putting second things first in my life. But this has continued to at least challenge me to consider what is really a first thing and hold it up to the light of evaluation.

CS Lewis continued this contemplation in a letter to Dom Bede Griffiths in 1951 saying, “Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: put second things first & we lose both first and second things.”

We are living in a time where I see a lot of us putting second things first. And it is causing us to be unkind, judgmental, suspicious, and even violent towards one another in our pursuit of it.

Jesus was once asked about first and second things. “What is the greatest commandment in the law?” His “first thing” response was profoundly simple. Love God and love people. Everything needs to flow from this first thing.

If CS Lewis is right, and we pursue second things as first, then they are already doomed, and perhaps so are we. If you don’t know what the first thing is, perhaps the pursuit of that needs to remain first.