They say you can tell a person’s priorities by looking at two things: their calendar and their bank account. Basically, whatever someone is investing their time, money, energy, and attention into is what they care about the most. We can say all we want that something is important to us, but it’s only real when we show it by fully putting ourselves and our resources into that thing.

Far too often, though, we allow ourselves to become so distracted by the things we have to care about that we lose sight of the things we want to care about. When we aren’t disciplined about keeping our priorities straight, we end up allowing life to dictate them for us. And life rarely chooses the right things for us to care about on its own.

One thing I’ve always tried to do is periodically check in on where my priorities lie and how they match up with where I want them to be. This practice takes a lot of work and intentionality, and it’s not something I’ve perfected. But I’ve found it to be extremely helpful in ensuring that I’m investing my resources into the things that really matter to me.

That list has changed drastically over time. Not long ago (although it feels like it’s been a lifetime), my education was my number one priority. I spent just about every waking moment either in class, studying, or completing school assignments. Then I got a job—well, a couple jobs—and had to figure out how to balance my schoolwork with my work work. For a while after graduation, my focus was zeroed-in on my ministry until this pretty girl named Katherine showed up and turned my whole world upside down.

Now, I invest most of my resources into our little family, making sure we have everything we need to thrive and grow together. My work is still extremely important to me, too. Between my relationship with God, love for my family, and dedication to my job, my priority list is pretty full and my resource supply mostly tapped out.

But over the years and throughout all the changes, there’s always been one other item on my priority list that I just can’t give up: this blog. Sure, its position on the list has fluctuated over time. If you used the calendar-and-bank-account test to gauge my commitment to the blog over the eight years it’s been around, you’d get wildly different results. There have been times that it’s cost me nothing and taken up all of my free time, and other times I’ve put money into it without posting for months. And of course, I’ve gone through phases where I’ve neglected to invest much of anything into it at all.

I feel like the blog has been in a really good place the past couple of years, both in terms of quality and priority. I’ve actually managed to maintain a fairly regular posting schedule since 2017, even given all of the major life changes I’ve experienced in that time. It’s an incredible creative outlet for me, I’ve learned a lot through it, and I’m really proud of the stuff I’ve put out here.

But even now, I don’t always feel like I’m giving this space the time and energy it deserves given how it important it is to me. I truly see this blog as a way for me to have a positive impact on the world, and I hope you see it that way, too. I’ve put my heart into this site. And I want to make sure that I’m prioritizing it the way I should be.

I’ll be honest: It isn’t always easy doing what I do on here. Sometimes—most of the time—it’s really exciting and fun. But other times, I hit writer’s block, or I have a really busy week, or I’m just not in the best mental place to be sharing my thoughts with the world. And in those moments, creative energy isn’t enough to keep things moving. It takes more than drive to make something a priority; it takes discipline.

So I’m going to be making some changes to my schedule and my approach to writing in order to keep this blog a high priority in my life. Nothing major, just simple things like blocking out time for writing and trying to plan ahead on what I’ll be covering here. I think changes like these are the least of what this place, which means so much to me, deserves.

You probably won’t notice anything different on your end, at least not anytime soon. Just your regularly-scheduled blog posts every Tuesday afternoon, with the quality and thoughtfulness you’ve hopefully come to expect. Of course, I’ve got big ideas, and I’m always thinking through what I want this site to be, so you never know what the future might hold! But if you’re a fan of the blog, the good news is that it’s here to stay, and I’m doing everything I can to make it the best it can be.

And as always, I’m so appreciative of everyone who takes the time to read it. It means the world to me that there are people out there who find value in what I have to say. I mean this from the bottom of my heart: Thank you so much for reading.

If you’re interested in supporting the blog and doing your part to make it all it can be, there are a few ways you can do that. Reading is always appreciated, and if you like an article, you can share it on social media to help other people find it as well. And if you really want to go the extra mile, I have a page set up where you can support the site financially and make it possible for this blog to keep going for a long time to come.

My goal is to get this space to a point where it’s self-sustaining, and we’re well on our way. I’d love to have you onboard if you’re willing! Any amount makes a difference, and I’d be forever grateful if you’d consider it.

More than anything, though, I’m just so glad that you’re here. Never in a million years did I think that this little page I started when I was a teenager would have such an impact on my life and even touch the lives of others as well. I love this place, and I love the relationship we have through it. Thank you again for being here and for spending your time and attention on what I have to say. I hope to always make it worth your while.

That’s all I’ve got for this week, friends. Time to start planning out the next one. I hope you have a great week, and I’ll see you soon!