The Priority That Shapes Every Other Priority

Tomorrow, my number one priority is simple but foundational: to remember whose I am before who I am. If God really has changed my life, then my words and actions should show it—in the small exchanges and the big moments. For me, it’s God first, family second, everything else after that.

That order shapes how I show up. When I’m with my students, I want to be fully present with them—eyes up, ears open, heart engaged. When I’m with my wife, my daughter, or my grandson, I don’t want to be half-there, half-somewhere else. Be where my feet are. Give the moment my whole attention.

It even extends into my writing—like right now. If I’m writing, I need to be immersed in the words, not distracted by the dozens of other things vying for my focus. And it extends to the football field, too. When I first started refereeing, I got lost in my own head—rehashing mistakes, listening too much to the literal noise coming from the sidelines. The best refs I know can filter that out and zero in on the next play. When they’re fully present in the moment, they’re far more likely to succeed at what they’re doing.

That’s the thread that ties it all together. Whether it’s teaching, writing, officiating, or spending time with the people I love, within each moment I want to make space for God to be fully present in me—so His peace, love, grace, and mercy can flow through me to whoever’s in front of me.

So my #1 priority tomorrow? God first. Family second. Then serve well—by being fully present, wherever I am.

About Douglas Blaine

Capnpen is a writer who was a newspaper and magazine journalist in a previous life. A college journalism major, he now works as an English teacher, but gets his writing fix by blogging about a variety of topics, including politics, religion, movies and television. When he's not working or blogging, Capnpen spends time with his family, plays a little golf (badly) and loves to learn about virtually anything.

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