Gratitude Day 559

Thurs., Jan. 21, 2021

Philippians 2:2 – So, I’m asking you, my friends, that you be joined together in perfect unity—with one heart, one passion, and united in one love. Walk together with one harmonious purpose and you will fill my heart with unbounded joy.

When people are asked what is most important to them, there are often typical answers such as family, health and friends. For people of faith, this may land on their list as well.

And so, I ask you the question, “What are the things that you REALLY, REALLY care about?”

Pause. Take a hot minute. Write down those things.

Seriously. Stop. Pull out a used envelope. Or a post-it note. Or the notes app on your cell phone. What do YOU care about the most?

Make it YOUR list. A list that is not influenced by others. But what the cries of your heart may be.

These are the things that make your heart patter a bit faster when you think of them.

The places where ideally you focus time, attention and energy.

The pieces of life that you want to be remembered for when someone writes an obituary for you.

Now, hold those items in your hand. Look over the list carefully. Stop after reading each item. Think about how those things live in your daily life.

Are you celebrating and embracing them?

Or does something on the list get pushed aside by other things?

If I asked your best friend what is most important to you, would those items appear in their response? If not, why?

Life is full of so many options. The average person has something like 30,000 choices or decisions to make every day. Yup, many of these relate to food; what we eat and what we won’t eat. After these choices, there remains a long laundry list of choices that buzz through our brains, if only for a second or two. We decide which of those thoughts to act on. And which we do not.

Not taking action is always a choice, you know.

Doing nothing with a thought or choice is still a choice.

We can’t fully slow down our brains and the 30,000 choices that we’ll make today. Tomorrow. The next day.

What we can do is try and focus our time, energy and attention to those choices that we care about. Those that mean the most to us. And how and where they live in our lives.

And when those things that we care about become part of the fabric of our lives, and we live these priorities on our sleeves, others may join in beside us. Decide that these things are as important to them. And together, we begin to make small impacts. Slight changes. Ever-so-slight differences in how we live our lives. The choices we make. How we view the world and even the very place that we live.

Some people do great things that have huge impacts in people’s lives. Let’s cheer them on and be excited for them!

For the rest of us, let’s focus our time, energy and attention to the things that we care deeply about. And invite someone else to be a part of this journey with us.

Maybe that’s what our most important role is right now. Being clear about what we’re passionate about. What excites us. What speaks to our hearts, our minds, and the pit of our bellies. Let’s spend time there today. Tomorrow. Every day. And watch as others come along side of us and do the same. For when we do this, God’s heart is oh, so incredibly happy. Excited. Thrilled. Joyful.

For the opportunity to discover what is what I care about the most and then living this in my daily life, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Dear God – There are so many choices we will make today. Tomorrow. Every day. Guide me to make the choices that mean the most and reflect what I care about. May how I live my life reflect upon those choices and be what other’s see. And may this encourage us to come together and join together in living lives that represent what we care about the most. Amen.

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