Check your priorities at the door, please...

I recently found this list of questions on Crosswalk. I didn't copy the exact link, sorry.

We are often asked to "check" our ego's at the door, meaning don't bring them into the situation or meeting to adversely affect the procedings. But I think the act of "checking my priorities" at the door is a practice I need to adopt. In this case, my priorities in life are supposed to follow me thru whatever 'door' I'm going thru. But in passing the door, it seems a logical time to assess why am I here? How does where I'm at today line up with my stated priorities? How does whatever I'm planning help or hinder my pursuit of these priorities.

Ask yourself these questions to check your priorities:
“What is my mission in life?”,
“Why do I do this kind of work?”,
“Where is my focus these days?”,
“What are my long-term goals?”,
“What are the important things in life to me?”,
“Who are the three people to whom I am closest?”,
“Are my relationships characterized more by giving or by getting?”,
“Are my relationships characterized by love?”,
“Who would I like to get to know better in the next six months?”,
“To whom am I accountable?”,
“Do I set aside a regular time and place for reflection?”,
“What does quietness look like in my life?”, “
What is the most common roadblock that keeps me from a regular time of quietness?”,
“How might keeping a journal help me to achieve more balance?” and
“What qualities would I most like to possess?”.

It seems like a pretty heady list, but I think the answers could prove very informative. Now I just need to take the time to honestly answer the questions...maybe share them with someone? (or vice versa)

Don't Worry, Be Happy

I came across an article on Crosswalk.com entitled "Anxiety is a Thief". I found this particular quote in it that I really liked.

In an article titled “Getting to the Heart of Your Worry” published in the
Journal of Biblical Counseling, Robert Jones writes: “Your worry is a sign that
in some way you are trusting in yourself, that you are building your life on
things or people other than Jesus. Your anxiety is an automatic indicator of a
heart that is not fully following the Lord but is temporarily following something
else. . . . To worry is to deny—in practical ways—God’s power, wisdom, and love
for you in your situation. To worry is to forget the full implications of your
identity as one of God’s chosen, adopted, and deeply loved children.”

I really struggle with worry, I worry about everything. Anyone who knows me, knows this. This robs me of my ability to just accpet and enjoy life as it comes, I also see how this is related to an incomplete and/or inaccurate view of God and his omniscience. I also see how this retards my growth into new areas of my life, or even physically overcoming fears while I am climbing.

Seeing God as my loving Father who cares enough to supply ALL my needs, and developing that trust in the idea that He is goign to fulfill that promise...that I think is the antidote for my worry. And the realiztion that even if I die climbing...at least I'll have a good story to tell for the first hundred years or so!!!!

Secondhand Sex

"We have what I call secondhand sex -- it's all over in the media and it's so ubiquitous, it's everywhere, we don't even notice it," Luce said. "It's like when you go into a dark room and your eyes can't see but then they adjust. Well, we've gotten used to the dark. We think it's normal like this. -Ron Luce
(as quoted by Nightline)

I was struck by this quote, even though I've known the concept for a long time. For me it's not just media, it's everywhere. My lust-radar is always looking for that next bit of lust-able material; visual, mental, verbal, tactile, olfactory. Doesn't matter, my lust will bend it to serve it's own purposes - given half the chance. But knowing this I have to recognize that when I'm out and about in the world, that I am not in a 'safe' place and I could be confronted with things at any moment in time that challenge my sobriety.

I need to be cognizent of the messages that the world is trying to sell me, and I need to have my responses memorized and ready to challenge them as they come into my brain.

So I might not be having sex - firsthand...but how many times do I permit myself to have 'second-hand sex'?