500 words

Yesterday’s 500 words were in an email shared with a friend.

That was an important awareness of priorities for me.

Not all of my 500 words that I need or want to be willing to write and share each day in November need to be shared publicly. Some may be best for an editor or a trusted friend or family member.

Who knows? Sometimes the 500 words may be the accumulation of Facebook status updates for the day.

Yesterday was unusual for me because it was full of life and vitality and service and fun and interaction with others, mostly at the annual bazaar and craft sale put on by my church’s United Methodist Women’s group, of which I have become an active member.

The surprise was that it didn’t generate social media posts from me along the way.

The reason was because I was busy doing things related to the bazaar, and when I was finished (after shopping and baking three additional items), I needed to go to bed instead of stay up and try to organize pictures and thoughts for a Facebook post.

Admittedly, social media might have reminded some people about the bazaar and increased our opening-day traffic. 

The more important point for me right now is that, whatever is true about what might have been, the bazaar’s first day was fine the way it was. It was more than fine. It was great!! As was the entire event, the purpose of which is to raise money for mission projects and scholarships.

I enjoy posting pictures and words on Facebook, so I was glad to make time to do so this morning before heading back to the bazaar. I worried that taking that time would cause me to be late. It almost did. I’m grateful it did not, because I think being there was more important than writing.

That thought touches an important concept I hope to hold onto and cultivate: Sometimes being involved in something is more important than writing about it in a journal or on social media.

However, I also can’t deny that writing may be one of my gifts or talents that I shouldn’t just toss aside because it’s difficult to use. Why, oh why, did my former pastor have to comment after my last wayward post that (I’ll add “perhaps”) “You have a voice that should be heard”?

Oh God, please help me find the balance between praying, listening, responding, serving, sharing, observing, learning, writing and encouraging. I know they are often intertwined in a shared priority. Other times, one is clearly more important than another. I often struggle to know which is which.

I’m learning that when it’s unclear to me what my priority should be, there is value in making a decision to do something, even if it’s just to pray and trust God that waiting is the right action for that moment. When I’ve been able to do that — basically, let go and let God (again!) — the way becomes clearer, especially when looking back at what seemed to be a mysterious journey.

So, is my writing voice one of my gifts that needs to be shared? Or is my active participation in serving and doing more important? I don’t have to know today. Through trial and error, I seek to find the balance. I pray to be willing to let God set the scale and be the judge.