I feel slightly hypocritical addressing this topic. I promised Books A Latte this guest blog back in May of 2008. One might think I hadn’t quite grasped the whole overcoming-obstacles concept yet.

But. When one considers that writing was the very thing keeping me from fulfilling my promise earlier, maybe one would cut me a break?

Although this guest blog was also a writing endeavor, and one to which I looked forward, I had to rank it below fulfilling book contracts, giving attention to my son, and a few other pressing items on my list of priorities.

And, oooo! There are the Golden Words! List. Of. Priorities!

The other night I met with my local writers’ group. Many of us admitted our writing was deadline driven. Once given a deadline, we suddenly find ways to overcome those annoying obstacles to writing. Like TV, the phone, socializing, laundry, working out, eating, sleeping. You know—all those things that pale next to the importance of meeting deadlines.

I’m being a tad facetious. But I’ve had such close deadlines for some of my books, I didn’t begin to debate putting some of the above items aside. If I wanted to fulfill my contracts and still show the love to my son, then chatty phone calls and hanging out with friends had to be put on hold for awhile. My friends understood I’d emerge later, as I have now, while between projects.

So, bottom line? Decide what’s most important in your life right now. If writing will interfere with nurturing your children, maybe this isn’t the season for you to write so much. If you can’t get in a full-blown workout and write, you have to decide which is most important at this moment—tight sentences or tight abs.

But whether we have a deadline or not, the Lord might have one for us. When you sit down to take a good look at your priorities, the best first step is to go to Him in prayer. If He can’t help us overcome obstacles, who can?