Priorities, procrastination, and possibilities

Part One of Two
    
    I'm horrible at prioritizing. Procrastination is a huge temptation. As far as possibilities...well, I'll discuss that one in a minute :) 

    First of all - priorities. I can be a very exuberant person, and I have several passions. I'm in love with my Savior. Music is...hmm...at the risk of sounding cliche, the lilting notes speak what words cannot.  Horses...anything horses...cause my eyes to sparkle, the corners of my mouth to curve into a grin, and bring buckets of sunshine into my life. Sports provide competition, an energy release, and camaraderie. Books grant an escape to another world and an imagination stimulation. And then there's my incredible family.........and amazing friends. Oh...and there's those other lovely things...such as school, chores, and other required activities. 


    Now comes the difficult part...how to prioritize? Obviously, I would much rather spend my time with things I enjoy the most. Obviously, I can't always do that. ;) Unfortunately, "we don't like meeting the needs of others when we have plenty of 'needs' that need to be met." {Lance Brown} The reason? Pride. The root of so, so many 'surface sins.' Have you heard the illustration of filling the jar? First with the big things, then gradually fill it with smaller and smaller items until the jar is full. If you start with the rocks and end with sand, you can squeeze more into the jar. If you start with sand, the rocks aren't gonna fit. Comprende? {Sorry I'm so terrible at explaining things} This leads into my next topic - procrastination. 
    
    Procrastination...the putting off of something that must be done. Synonyms are: put off, delay, dawdle....okay, I'll stop quoting from "The Worst Christmas Tree" and get on with my post.  Anyway, procrastination is one of the many instruments in the devil's toolbox, and he's able to use it quite effectively. 'Specially on this girl. Next time you're tempting to put something off, or not complete the job, here's a quote to {hopefully} cause you to reconsider. "If you don't have time to do something right the first time, then when will you have time to do it over?" It is so easy for me to put off Wednesday's class assignment until the night before...and then the quality of my essays (or whatever the assignment may be) is {probably} not nearly as good as it could've been. Here's one of my favorite songs...what? You didn't think you were gonna get through a blog post without some form of a song, did you? ;)

"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade"

 I love this song. It's so convicting... it's easy {easier, usually, at least} to say "no" to the bigger things...but procrastinating, for example, is just so easy to submit to. To simply say "oh, I'll do it later." There may not be a 'later'. And one choice leads to another...like John Bunyan mentions in Pilgrim's Progress - it is much more difficult to find your way back to the straight and narrow path than it is to wander off it.

I've just decided to make this a two-part post......Possibilities are coming soon! :)