Priorities...

The beginning of 2013 has come and over the last few weeks I have been pondering a few things, and God has been laying several of them on my heart. I continue my constant desire for knowledge of His Will (or my skewed interests which are the next place I will live, job I will have, etc...), but I realize that my desire is without action. I may make it a priority to want to know... but I have not made it a priority to find the truth.

The truth about me is this (among many others)... I waste too much time in my life, and don't use the time I am given wisely. I work about 9 hours a day and come home to cook dinner and TV, maybe read a book, and then go to sleep way too late. Some nights I'll have dinner with a friend and on Wednesdays I help out at church... but all of this stuff... it does nothing for my relationship with the Lord .

To put it simply, I give Honey Boo Boo more time than God.

I admit it, I love reality TV like Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty. I enjoy reality competition shows like Project Runway and The Voice, and watch HGTV like it's my job. I don't watch real news to find out what is going on in the real world affecting other people, instead I watch E! news to find out celebrity gossip. It's really sad... the more I think about it, these opportunities I am wasting to spend time with God in prayer and study or making memories with other friends and neighbors. Additionally I am wasting time that could be spent learning something new, meeting new people, or bettering myself physically through exercise.

This past weekend, and I don't know for what reason, God really impressed upon me the need to spend more time in prayer. I have so many friends who need prayer for a variety of reasons, and that time spent talking to God should take much precedence over the Real Housewives of Wherever...  What I have come to realize, which has always been truth and I have been to ignorant to realize it is that the things I do during my day should be for His Glory and if it isn't... then I shouldn't be doing it. Now I don't think that means no TV or to necessarily spend every moment I am not at work with my nose in the Bible, but I do believe that based on this realization I need to prioritize my days... Each day, in some way, should include the following:

1. prayer
2. study
3. exercise
4. communication/spending time with friends, family, 
5. encouragement of others

These things may not come in this order, and frankly I don't know what form they will come in... but it needs to happen. I want my 30th year to be a special one. I have a list I am working on of 30 things I want to do in my 30th year, and I believe through working on my priorities some of those things will just happen.I hope so anyway...

So here's to being a better Kacey in 2013 by being a better Christian. Let's be honest, I'll still watch Duck Dynasty but maybe not as much Honey Boo Boo and Real Housewives. After all, at least they pray at the end of each episode of Duck Dynasty. I hope to spend more time right here, posting my thoughts for Aunt Lanell to read and me to reread when I need to.

On a final note, one straight from the Lord himself (remember, I don't believe in coincidence) ... as I was struggling with some thoughts today the words to "I don't know about tomorrow" came to my head... after I sang through it not too long later I began singing "Just a closer walk with Thee."

Yes Lord, I get the point.

Love y'all,
Kacey