Sage, age 80, lives up to her name; she’s a true “sage” – A very wise elder (we posted a recording of her views on marriage here).

When asked about her most important advice for younger people, she shared what seemed to me to be a straightforward recommendation: set clear priorities. But then she provided a highly unusual take on that piece of advice – you may need to think about it for a bit!

A main lesson of mine is: Have your priorities straight. Now, this takes some explaining. I am a poet, and I came up with a haiku, a three lined poem that sort of expresses what I think that  life is about.

The first line is: “Love God, self, others – then sin most outrageously often as you can.”

Now think that one through. If you have your priorities straight – you love God, self, others – well, what kind of sinning can you do? Because you can’t. If you have your priorities straight, you are not going to do anything that is going to hurt someone else or yourself.

And the reason for saying love God, self, others is this: If you do not love yourself and what God has made you, you are not going to be able to love others; you will always be judging them. So there’s a reason for the priorities being put in that order. It makes sense when you think it through. Once your priorities are straight then dare almost anything!