First Things

My goodness!! I can’t believe we are already into the third week of the year! My husband and I got a new puppy for ourselves for Christmas so my days have been consumed with puppy training and all that goes with that!! And to top it all off, it has been very cold here since New Years and on Friday our region received some snow (about 6 inches at my home) and the bitter cold temperatures remained. So, I haven’t needed to exercise off my Christmas holiday treats because gearing up in all my snow gear and chasing a puppy in the snow has been my workout so far!! I haven’t minded any of it at all. I am from northern Indiana and grew up not seeing the actual ground for weeks. I love the snow and don’t mind the cold if I can bundle up properly!!

January happens to be one of my favorite months which leads me to some thoughts I wanted to share. One of the things that I love about January is the idea of “firsts.” I have been thinking about the word “first” these last couple of weeks and pondering the promise of that word. In Webster’s Dictionary the word first means: coming before all, preceding all others in time, order, or importance. Think about all of the ways that we use this word: first prize, first in line, first anniversary, first girlfriend/boyfriend, first kiss, first day of kindergarten, first birthday, first in line, first born, first lady, first day of the year, first time the puppy scratches at the door to let you know she needs to go out!!

Many of the ways that we use this word is to signify a very special event of some sort and within that use is the promise of something good to come or to follow that first thing. But I have been thinking about the word “first” in regards to position or even priorities. The question I have been pondering is “What and who is first in my life?” As I am trying to bring post-holiday order to my life, (which is taking much longer than usual because of Miss Scarlett!!) I am considering this and asking myself “what are my first priorities?”

What we think about and what we do with our time tells the story of what matters most to us in our heart. So, I am considering my thoughts and my ways to determine what is first for me. Is it maintaining my home? Is it TV or social media? Is it my “me time” or hobbies? Or is it people? And even more importantly…is it God? Does my life reflect that God is first in my life? Does my life reflect that people matter more than possessions, to do lists, and entertainment? As I am going through my days here in this first month of the year, I want the most important things in my life to be the first things.

I hope you are having a lovely first month of the year and I’m wishing good and lovely things for you as you go through your days!!

See you next time!

Julie