Originally Posted by Mike Young July 2011

Fun? Hard? Important?

Priorities. I told you about the backpacking adventure I recently enjoyed with Tim and Ben. I finally got over the soreness. So this past weekend I did it again… Tim and Ben were at Camp Alkulana so Zach and I did a Sunday-Monday trip. We started Sunday afternoon by hiking to the top of The Priest (3,100 vertical over 4 miles… The Priest is a Beast!). Then on Monday we hiked to Spy Rock then backtracked and came down Crabtree Falls. The entire trip was about 15.5 miles.

It was fun to spend one-on-one time with Zach. He didn’t tease me as much as Tim and Ben. We also enjoyed meeting other hikers who had been on the trail for weeks or even months! I’m always interested in what they carry. We’re novice backpackers, just getting started so our gear is heavy and we carry too much stuff.

I’m amazed by how little the through-hikers actually carry. They’ve really learned what’s important.

So, as I’m walking with my heavy pack I ponder…. What could I do without? What should I have left at home? What’s really necessary? I made quite a few adjustments between the two trips, but I’m convinced that I could still shave some pounds by focusing on priorities…

Then, I find myself thinking about life beyond the trail. I confess, I need to work to focus on real priorities. Recently I’ve decided that life’s activities can be fun, hard and/or important. I really like to do fun things. And, I enjoy the challenge of doing hard things. Important things aren’t necessarily fun or challenging… but they are important! I have to be careful because sometimes I get to the end of the day and wonder if I’ve accomplished the really important things.

Christ told us pretty clearly what’s important. Matthew 6:33 says… But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  

Guys, I end up toting around a lot of things in life that just aren’t God’s priorities. As you plan your days and work through your lists, are you doing the right things?

Are you managing your life with priorities that honor God?

One final thought…  There are many sweetspots in life where you’ll find that the important things are also fun and challenging. Those are awesome moments. Climbing The Priest and spending the night with my son on top of a mountain was fun, challenging and important. What are some of your sweetspots… where life is fun, challenging and important?

What About the Girls???

You may be wondering about Stacy and Hannah… I’ve been camping with the boys for two weekends and missed out on time with my girls. Well they don’t mind camping (Our family is camping with 9 other families from our church this weekend.) They just aren’t interested in carrying everything on their backs. They enjoy “girl’s nights” while we’re away and watch movies that the boys call ‘heart-warming stories’. You know the kind… movies with horses but no real cowboys.

I do enjoy spending time doing fun things with Hannah… She’s reminding me that it’s time for another Daddy Date. And, I have to make sure that I make specific plans for date nights with Stacy as well…

Guys, make sure you’re investing in the significant women in your lives. Relational time is critical to them! Make it a priority in your life!

Earlier this week, I heard a song about fathers and daughters titled, “She Thinks We’re Just Fishin’” I love the message… It reminds all us dads that we need to invest time in building a solid relationship with our daughters! Check out the video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IheODRwalEw