This last week, being a writer has looked like: filing a business name, purchasing a domain name, trying to learn the ins-and-outs of my web design program, and creating more passwords than I ever would have thought necessary.
I have to admit, I'm no businesswoman. I greatly dislike learning software, and turning my writing hobby into a business requires detail after detail after detail, each of which is a new experience with a learning curve attached. And as I prepare to launch my website and work through the detail-heavy process of preparing to self-publish my first little book, it's all a bit overwhelming. I am caught between excitement that this might actually all come together, a feeling of urgency about sorting out all the details and getting things done before school starts, and the nagging feeling that I do actually need to write something at some point...
All this wrestling with tasks and details has got me thinking about priorities. I have been reminded daily of the need to be intentional about what I want to accomplish each day, and my to-do lists have become very detailed and extensive. But as I sat down and mapped out how many weeks I had left before the beginning of the school year, I knew it would be all-too-easy to get myself on the wrong track and prioritize things God didn't want at the top of the list.
So I sat down and looked for verses about priorities. These two stood out as the verses I needed to keep in mind when setting my priorities:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:2-3
Both of these verses remind me to keep my focus on God, and to make my relationship with Him my top priority. This means more than just "doing my devotions" when I get up each morning.
It means purposefully, intentionally taking time to shut out everything else and focus on God as I pray and read His Word.
It means taking my decisions and frustrations to Him first, before picking up my phone to text a friend.
It means yielding my list of things I want to do or accomplish to be conformed to what God has planned for the day.
It means being focused, but not inflexible.
It means keeping up a running dialogue with God throughout the day.
It means not quitting when I feel overwhelmed by all the details.
And finally, being a writer with a set of God-focused priorities means remembering that He is the One I am doing all this for in the first place!
No comments:
Post a Comment