Shifting Priorities

Stan, the new baby highland cow

Wix, the hosting site for the Sassy Pastor blog informed me today that it had been 28 days since I last blogged. So much for a weekly blog post. All I can say is that life has been life-ing and sometimes priorities shift.

We are in a season of transition in my household. My spouse, who has held the same job for the last 30 years is transitioning out of teaching and into an admin role. In the midst of the process he is working both roles and living in that weird space between moving on and holding steady. Add to that house projects, parenting parents, parenting a teenager and doing the heavy lifting on the farm, his world is full. Some of my priorities have shifted to help with his needs.

Our youngest son just graduated from college. It's a tough time to be a college graduate. The financial uncertainty in the country has made some employers shy to hire and some of the jobs he was considering have been "doge"-d and no longer exist. For many weeks our conversations resembled a chaotic game of if that- than this, or if this -than that, or worst case scenario... Thankfully, he landed on his feet and has a job he is excited about (and in the state which excites his mom!) Some of my priorities have shifted to hold space in his transition.

My daughter is a a junior in high school- adopted from Ethiopia as a baby. Through a series of random events, we realized last winter that we didn't have her certificate of citizenship paperwork finished. Given the current climate for green card holders, we knew getting this process done asap was crucial. In reality, an internationally adopted teenager with no record likely isn't on the radar of those who are twisting the story of welcome in our country-but that doesn't ease a sassy mama's worry. In a moving and hope-filled ceremony on Friday, she was granted her citizenship with 40 or so other immigrants. The ceremony was beautiful and reminded me of who we really are as a country. Because I didn't need to add anxiety to an already anxious child, some of my priorities shifted to hold worry in the wee hours of the morning.

Get your shingles vaccine. A few weeks ago, I spent a day working in the barn and came in with what I thought was a spider bite that really itched. I also had this weird pain in my back that I thought was maybe a response to the bite, but was stabbing and intermittent and worrisome. Sure enough the next day, a rash began to develop and the pain increased. Dr. Google told me it might be shingles so off to the real Dr I went to get on an anti-viral. While a fairly mild case, it still set me back a bit and the pain has become a strange and elusive companion. Some of my priorities shifted to self care.

It's spring on the farm- that means baby chicks, baby kittens, and a new baby cow. I love love love spring on the farm. New life erupts daily and snuggling baby kittens, baby chicks and baby cows is good for the soul. Spring at our house also means hosting the local high school prom in our barn. Spring is joy on the farm. From tiny new creatures to 60 high school students dancing with pure delight in the renovated hayloft- spring overflows with energy and hope. Some of my priorities shifted to drink deeply of joy.

Priorities shift. I have a running list of topics for the blog- ideas and inspiration that hit at random times- and I am committed to you- sassy pastor friends, to keep writing. You are a priority- sometimes you just get bumped down the line a bit. Where have your priorities shifted lately? Who has need your presence? Who have you held space for? Where have you stopped to notice and embrace joy?

As I have wrestled a bit with guilt around what I haven't had time for, I keep coming back to Ecclesiastes 3, especially this translation from Eugene Peterson's The Message. May it serve as both a reminder and a blessing as you navigate shifting priorities.

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

Blessings- The Sassy Pastor.