Oh, Priorities

I've been thinking about this little notepad this week.  The dear church I attended while I was in college always had a ladies' retreat in March, and one year the topic was Elizabeth George's book A Woman After God's Own Heart.  She argues from Scripture that a married woman's priorities are in the order listed above.  I learned a lot, and we all received these little notepads as reminders.  It all seemed so clear and simple.

This week has been the kind of week where I've spent most of my time on the last two items, ministry and self.  It's my week to tutor a ninth grader recovering from surgery on MWF, and since it's the first week of the month, we had our international student luncheon on Monday and ladies' Bible study on Tuesday.  And since this week includes the second Friday of the month, there's Mom's Coffee Connection, where I usually help babysit the kids so the moms can get edified.  On top of that, I've got a nasty cold or allergies or something, leading my sweet husband to let me get some extra sleep.  I've hardly cooked all week and haven't touched my usual house-cleaning.

Maybe all of this doesn't sound like much.  I don't have little kids to run around after or a full-time job.  And all these things rarely fall within the same week!  I'm quite thankful that John and I decided that I wouldn't teach full-time, at least during the first year of marriage.  It's a sweet time in life for us and not as hectic as teaching used to be.  But I do have a wider range of responsibilities now.  Do any of you readers find yourselves hemming and hawing when people ask, sweetly or judgmentally, "So, what do you do with your time?"  

As noble and exciting as ministry can be (and look to others), methinks things have been bit out of whack this week.  So, hit me over the head with that notepad again, please.