Priorities | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Priorities | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Borga
05/26/21
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

Kelsey waved goodbye to her husband as she hurried to answer the phone. It was her friend, Janna, reminding her it was their workout day. “I’ll meet you at the gym at noon,” she promised.

Still wearing her robe, she ran upstairs to don workout gear, only to realize that last night’s laundry was still in the dryer downstairs. Before she could head for the basement, her teenager emerged from his room and waylaid her.

“Mom, the new markers you bought aren’t in my room, and we’re drawing those posters today! Pretty please, could you find them for me?” He thanked her with a quick sideways hug, then hurried into the bathroom to comb his hair.

She had planned to energize herself with a dose of caffeine but found that her husband had emptied the pot into his thermos before he left for work. While she scooped a measure of the fragrant brew into the coffee maker, her mind traced the trail of the lost markers. The last time she remembered seeing them was at the mall. A trip to the garage confirmed that she had left them on the seat of the car. On the way back into the kitchen, she picked up the grass clippers and rake that lay on the garage floor and hung them on the wall.

Back at the kitchen counter, she smeared mustard on a bun, assembled a pile of shaved ham onto it, and topped it with a slice of Swiss cheese. She slipped the sandwich into a plastic bag and deposited it and an ice pack into a brown paper sack, along with a pack of crackers and an apple. She handed the lunch and the markers to her son as he headed out the door.

The robust aroma of coffee tickled her nose as she bounded down the basement steps. She emptied the dryer, found the workout clothes, and put them on. She folded the rest of the clothes and carried them up two flights of stairs to put away. She glanced at her unmade bed and decided to change the sheets. With that done, she gathered the soiled sheets and hauled them downstairs to wash.

She had just poured her coffee when the doorbell chimed. Her elderly neighbor’s back was acting up again. Would she mind carrying her groceries into the house for her? Kelsey’s coffee was cold by the time she returned.

And so it went for the next two hours. She rummaged in the freezer for meat for tonight’s dinner and set it out to thaw. While she hunted for pasta, she noticed the disorder in the cabinet and began to organize. She glanced out the window and saw that the dog had dug a hole under the backyard fence, which led to a lengthy chase around the neighborhood. At eleven-thirty she wiped the sweat from her brow and dialed her friend.

“Please, let’s forget going to the gym today, Janna. Let’s go for ice cream instead!”

I can chuckle at my fictional superwoman, yet it’s no laughing matter when I allow distractions to get in the way of my spiritual workouts. I try to fortify my days with a dose of wisdom from God’s word. It doesn’t guarantee a day without problems, but it gives me the strength to face whatever comes. Do I do it faithfully? Sadly, I’m often fooled into thinking there are more urgent matters.

A long talk with Jesus is the best remedy when worries and sorrows pester my soul. Yet when I’ve most needed that prayer time is when I’m most likely to inflate the importance of my household duties. I tend to grade my worth by how much I accomplish: scrub the bathtub, paint the door, plant the flowers, bake the perfect pie. Check off each item and give myself another point. And do it all over again.

God’s been teaching me that what’s in my heart is more important than what’s on my table. And it’s better that my conscience is clean than that my windows are spotless. I’m realizing that the most important task I can do each day is to pray. If I accomplish nothing else, I’ve already done something of lasting significance.
---

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.