Lent-Day 2: Setting Priorities

Today's video from the SSJE talks about five categories with regard to setting priorities:

In the first week we’ll just talk about stopping. There are certain times when we’re called to stop what we’re doing, to rest or to reflect. We’ll also talk about prayer. How does prayer fit into our lives, and where do we find the time to pray and stay connected with God? We want to talk about work, because many of us have a disordered relationship to time and work, and work drives us and consumes our time in ways that we experience as unhealthy and unwholesome. We want to talk about play, because very few of us take time to play, and play is actually very important in – has an important role to play in the balance of our life. Then we want to talk about taking time to love, taking time to listen to others, time to be with others, time to live into the fullness of our relationships.

Yesterday's reflection at Holy Trinity's Ash Wednesday service set the categories in prayer, fasting and almsgiving, where prayer is your relationship with God; fasting is not allowing something that "wastes" our time (i.e., television, shopping, food or alcohol) to fill up every empty space, leaving no room for the Divine life God can give to us in abundance - as long as there's room; and almsgiving is giving something we have to someone who would otherwise go without - acknowledging that we are trustees of our possessions, our time, our lives - not owners of it.  All of these advised that the answer lies in the question - who runs the world?

So stopping to rest and reflect allows you to see where things need to be prioritized in your life, lets you set goals, and lets you remember that as trustees - we're here to do God's will.  And we won't know what that is if we don't stop and listen.

So today, pick two things that you do too much of, that take away time and energy, but don't really give anything back.  For the period of Lent, can you cut your time by half, and use that time to listen and reflect?  Set your priorities.  Choose your goals, and what you want to leave as your legacy to the next trustees of God's creation.