Priorities 101 (Introduction)

As I'm driving, peering into the oncoming snow that glows in the hazy yellow gleam of my headlights and collides into the windshield, I wonder if I have the audacity to pray for the snow to stop.

For months Reese has been hoping for snow -- whining, pleading, wishing -- and until tonight, we've had none.  Weeks back, Joel had encouraged her, "Well, Reese, if you want snow, pray for snow."

So as I plod along the road twenty miles below the speed limit and feel the car's tires slide whenever I turn, I hesitate to pray against the prayers that my six-year-old has offered.  In cartoon form, I envision my prayer clashing with hers in the sky, like a heat seeking missile, and God smiling at the irony.

I'm traveling to be the speaker at a mom's group.  The snow was unexpected, and from the way it's piling up, I know it will limit the audience.  It's disappointing; I'm ready for a crowd.  I'm prepared to be eloquent and funny and gosh, I'm even having a good hair day.

But I pray anyway -- not that the snow will stop, but that the people who need to be there will still be able to come.  I fight the urge to feel disappointed.  I remind myself that my time preparing the talk wasn't in vain and that its significance isn't lessened because only a few will hear it.

I was, after all, asked to talk about priorities.  Shouldn't my priorities be right?  This really isn't about me.

It is a small crowd when I arrive, but the talk goes well -- and I'd love to share its contents with you.  So for the next several posts, I'm going to do just that.  I'll explain some common ways that we mess up our priorities, and I'll provide some tips to fix it when we do.

So, if you've ever felt that your priorities have gotten unaligned, stop back to keep reading!