main thing

In my last post I described my short lived career in ziplining.  After hiking back to the lodge, I huddled in the heated conference room and looked out the floor to ceiling windows at the forest below.  I was still trying to get warm.  Still trying to adjust to the fact that I hadn't finished the course.

I had only been there about thirty minutes when four students from my team walked in.  My son and three friends.

"How are you back so soon?"  I asked.

"Too cold."  "Not that fun." "We'd had enough" they answered.

"How far did you go?"  I asked.

"To the 4th platform. That one had steps.  So we walked down and hiked back."

I wanted to say "No!!!  I didn't have a choice to keep going.  You did.  It was supposed to get warmer. You should have hung in there. You needed to finish."

We had about two hours to wait for the rest of the group to reach the end and return.  I worried that they would come back triumphant and adventurous and my four would feel unfinished and slackerish. That they had wasted their ticket prices.  That they had missed out on the main thing we came here to do.

And then I watched them.

Sitting on oversized chairs on the covered porch.  Overlooking the forest.  Drinking cup after cup of the  hot chocolate the lodge provided for free. They were laughing and talking nonstop.  Telling stories and jokes.  Totally enjoying each others company.  Clearly no place they'd rather be.

They'd tried the expensive, thrilling adventure.  It was fine.  Hanging with their buddies at camp was better.  So maybe this was the main thing. 

Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what the main thing is. 

     Company is coming over and I'm organizing the shoes in the back of my closet instead of vacuuming the living room.
    Settling out my weights, yoga mat and exercise clothes the night before and then turning off the alarm at 5:00 am and going back to sleep.
     Finding myself cranky and snapping at the boys while I am cooking dinner so we can all sit lovingly around the table.
     Missing the main thing....

I guess I'm not the only one.  Stephen Covey writes that “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” 

Jesus wrote about it too. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness.  And all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

I will this morning.  Early.  Curled up on my cozy chair.  Hot chocolate in my pink bunny mug. Worship book in my hand.  Starting with the main thing.