Life Your Life Fully
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
-- 1 Chronicles 28:9
David gave Solomon some wonderful advice. Of course, like most of us who receive good advice, Solomon didn’t always follow it. Solomon was so wise except in that one area. Yeah, his wives. He had way too many and he tended to follow them away from God. Bad, bad mistake.
Today is the second day of this New Year. Are you still energized and determined to accomplish your goals and dreams this year? Or have you already fallen back in to your rut, doing things the way you always have? Change is hard. It just is.
So what do you think God wants for you this year? To know Him better? To care for others? To live your faith? And to be happy? Yeah. I think God wants us to be happy.
Think about this: If you were at the end of your life, what would you regret? And what would you want others to say when they think about you when you’re gone? Questions such as these aren’t meant to be depressing. Instead, they help us focus our days on things that are truly important and have a lasting impact.
Bronnie Ware, who has worked in hospice care, said that those who are dying have similar regrets. They wish, for example, that they’d had the courage to live a life true to themselves and not the life others expected them to live. Are you following your dream or are you living the life other people have told you to live? We all make choices. Sometimes we choose to follow our hearts. We follow those nudges from the Holy Spirit. And sometimes we don’t.
Many of Ware’s clients wished they hadn’t worked so hard. Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? We get caught up in earning a living and living a life. We make excuses for missing all the fun happenings with those we love. School plays. Soccer matches. Dinners out. Walking along the beach. Hiking. Laughter. Stories. What are you missing today?
And what are you holding in? Are you so busy trying to keep the peace that you never seem to express your true opinions and feelings? I know. I don’t particularly like drama either. But sometimes it takes drama to get past the bitterness and resentment that comes from keeping our feelings to ourselves. So speak your truth. Do it kindly. Do it gently. But speak just the same. You can’t control the reactions of others. Either it will improve your relationship or you didn’t need that person in your life anyway.
Who do you need? Family. And friends. Stay in touch with the people you know and the people you knew. Make time for your friends and your extended family. And let yourself be happy. It’s okay to laugh. It’s okay to be satisfied with where you’re at. It’s okay to have fun. Why in the world did we ever think it wasn’t?
So consider your life. Chase your dreams. Spend time with friends and family. Laugh often. Keep in touch with people who matter. And speak your truth. Live your life out loud so you don‘t ever have to look back with regrets.
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