August 1, 2008

Dear Friends,

 August is here, hot as expected, and people are taking things easy. We have to, it’s too hot to do anything fast. But before we know it, the school year and the busy-ness of fall will rush toward us and we’ll find ourselves again at full schedule.

So in these hot, tired days of August, let’s do something more than take a breather. Let’s take inventory, set priorities, clear the clutter of our lives, so we are better able to head into fall with our lives on track. If we take time, in these slower days, to prioritize the things in our lives, I know we’ll find, in the busier and more hectic days, that we’ll keep our center, maintain our focus, and grow in Christ. August is actually a gift for the rest of the year, isn’t it?
           
Get out a piece of paper and start a list. What are the five most important things in your life? List them as they occur to you, then put them in order. You’ll probably include your family, God, your job or school, but then what? Health? Sports? Some cause or ministry you have a passion for?
           
Now, look at how you spend your time, and see if the five most important things in your life are the five most important on your schedule. Oh, I know, your job may take more time than you are able to give to a hobby and you may have listed the hobby higher than your job. There are some things we can’t control. But we can control spending more time at work than is appropriate, given its priority in relation to family, for instance. Are we making “getting more” a higher priority than we say it is? Look at how important your actionssay these five things are to you.

            Years ago I took a stress management class that was very valuable. The teacher said, “Do what you say you value.” If you say you value family, does your time show that? If you say you value your health, what are you doing for your health? If you say you value your relationship with God, what are you doing to develop that?
           
Now, for years you have been hearing me say, “What’s the most important thing to God? That he’s the most important thing to us!” This is the subject of August’s sermon series. I certainly hope that your relationship with God is on your top five list. If you’ve made your list and it isn’t in your top five, look hard, figure out where it does fall on your personal list and ask yourself if that’s working for you. I’m certain that the higher your relationship with God appears on your list, the more complete and fulfilling you find your life.
           
I invite everyone to use August to ensure that our values and priorities are in the right order. Only then will our lives work as God intends.
 

In Christ’s love,

Rev. Ann