The Art of Priority: Part 1

Sometimes I ask my students to decide between these two options: choice #1 Life with your family for 10 more years or choice #2 Life all alone for 50 more. I want to know the priority they place on longevity. I want to know if quantity is more important than quality. Most of them opt for the 10 years with family. They think 30 is old so they may as well enjoy family for 10 years because you’re old by then anyway.

Deciding what’s important enough to pursue is a difficult task for people, especially athletes. The odds have changed a bit and not in your favor. If you’re a young person with your gaze upon grandeur, here’s how it’s looking (DON’T BE ALARMED):

MAKING THE PROS

Football: .09% or about one in 1,000
Men’s Basketball: .03% or about one in 3,400
Women’s Basketball: .02% or about one in 5,000
Baseball: .5%, or about one in 200.

So back to the word PRIORITY. I’m trying to decide right now what’s more important…the yard work or writing this blog. Maybe I’ve made my decision. Let’s revisit the meaning of PRIORITY:

pri·or·i·ty

Here’s my dilemma at 10:04 a.m. based on the idea of PRIORITY. Do I mow the Lawn, wash the Car or edit my manuscript once I’m done with this post? A better question might be: Which of the three options stands to help the most people? Sure the lawn keeps things neat and tidy and a car wash would keep my varsity girls basketball team from writing “Help me, my owner won’t bathe me” on my windshield. But I’ve come to life because after 32 years of  living, God has shown me a way to use what he gave me – a passion for people and athletics. When I became a pastor, I thought my involvement with athletics was hobby-esque, trivial and something real ministers shouldn’t waste time doing. I didn’t believe that conclusion but I accepted it.

Nearly five years ago, I aggressively sought a way to learn about the sports realm from prep to professional. I even started ballin’ (playing basketball) again and worked out for an NBA scout. I was brok and some thought I was deluded for “Prioritizing” the way I did. If people would still call me a minister, and for the record I do, I’m somewhat unconventional. But when you’ve got 2 or 3 choices in life the priority should be something that evokes an unrelenting vigor that animates both you and the world around you.Remember, Jesus was focused (see older blog post).

We study the giants of society in sports, music, fashion, cinema, etc. but we’re afraid to make the deeply seated “thing” a priority. There’s a lot of ways we determine what’s most important but suffice it to say that I dreamed of sports all day as a kid, made it a primary vehicle for delivering God’s truth and it hasn’t killed me yet. Quite the contrary!