First Things First

(This blog excerpt was taken from Jess Fong’s latest prayer letter)

Hi Family!

I am currently in Boston, storing up on cold weather before heading back to Florida for two months. I am volunteering with several of Campus Crusade’s ministries based here and completing the final draft for my last travel assignment to Montana (where I saw my first snow for the season!).  The story is about a Native American ministry called Nations, through the eyes of Nicholas Ross-Dick, a member of the Yakama Nation.

I spent three days following Nick around.  Eating in the student center, talking to his friends, and listening as he led Bible study; I tried to get just glimmers of what it means to be a Native American Christian college student, a rare demographic.

The second day I worked with Nick, we attended Native American Literature class and walked around campus. It wasn’t until late afternoon that he casually mentioned he was missing a meeting with the university president. As a leader of the American Indian Council on campus, he had been asked to speak on behalf of the Native American students. He was playing hooky because he had already agreed to meet me.

In most Native American cultures, the concept of time is based on priorities, not the clock. Often Native Americans will run late because they were attending to something more important, and will stay late until they feel the task is finished well. To Nick, speaking with me to have this story written about God’s ministry was the heavier priority. But to me, because of the power I had placed on the title of “University President,” I thought he was making a bad call. In the end, we both went to the meeting late.

As I think about Nick, I realize his prioritizing is better than mine- I give weight to things I think are important, but often aren’t, like neglecting morning devotions for breakfast/sleep/e-mail.  The holiday season often puts my priorities askew. I forget to place first what God knows is important.

As we enter into the New Year, I pray that we would all be able to live life according to God’s priorities, and never our own.

(Look for Jess’ story about Nicholas Ross-Dick and Nations Ministry to appear in the May/June issue of Worldwide Challenge.)