When is it time? How long do you wait? When is it too late? Doesn’t it stink when you look back and think, “I really wish I should have…”? Yes, it’s the week before/of Christmas. Yes, the year is coming to an end. Yes, we are all so busy with the everything of life. However, it is time.
It is time to…
- Look at your loved ones and realize that they won’t be here forever. This doesn’t just apply to the elderly. Any one that you love can be gone tomorrow. How will you love them differently?
- Take a close look at who God is. Yeah, Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th. But was He born? Did He exist? If so, who was He? Lord, liar, lunatic? If He wasn’t really born, why all the fuss?
- If you know Him to be the Son of God and have committed your life to Him, it’s time to make your walk with Him much more personal. Talk to Him, listen to Him, love like Him.
- Heal from your past hurts. It is not time to make New Years resolutions. They don’t work because that which you are trying to improve in your life is hampered by your past hurts. That’s why they don’t work.
- Love more. Engage in the lives of people who need you. This life is meant to be shared. Most people don’t have that “go to” person who can love them and listen to them. They don’t have someone who will enter their world and feel their pain and share their joy.
- Challenge yourself. We all get comfortable, even in our misery. Do something different. Be not good at something. Learn a new task. Read a book on something you know nothing about. It doesn’t have to be drastic. Just break the pattern.
- Change your parenting. Step it up a notch. Eat dinner together more often (or ever). Have family game night. Sit down and talk about memories once a week (month). Dream together. Be more together.
- Take control of your families phones. Put them away (even you mom and dad) when you spend family time. Commit to 3 loving social interactions with others before simply surfing the net. Set goals to use the phone for good rather than simply selfish indulgence. I mean, you’re not getting rid of it. You may as well use it to bless others.
- Go to church. Not just for the sake of going but to find people who love you and you can love. Go to have a constant reminder that there is more to this life than the busyness of the day to day grind.
- If you haven’t found that in church yet…don’t stop. They are out there.
- Eat better. Diets are temporary but eating better is attainable and repeatable. You didn’t gain weight 10lbs. at time. You won’t lose it that way either. Drastic changes swing back the other way. Slowly get rid of the things you know aren’t good for you…one by one.
- Exercise a little. Just do a little more than you do right now. This will affect much more than your body. Your mind will be better as well.
- Appreciate the people who have made you who you are.
- Forgive those who have hurt you.
- Look at people beyond their political beliefs.
- Look at people beyond their skin color.
- Look at people despite their success in life.
- Look at people beyond how they relate to you .
- Realize that even though others have it worse than you that your pain matters.
- Realize that people do have it worse than you though.
- Realize that people who have it better than you (whatever that means) might be able to teach you something.
- Be humble.
- Be nice.
- Say thank you.
- Extend grace.
- Move on.
- Take a risk.
- Go on a date with your spouse. Not “hang out with friends.” Just the two of you.
- Reach out to an old friend and just check in.
- Finish the last parts of the 15 odds jobs that you’ve left around the house that were almost complete.
- Volunteer.
- Put your trust in God to meet your needs.
- Be open, honest, and vulnerable.
- Mutually give to meet the needs of the people in your world.
This list is but a brief list of things you can do…now. What else should be on it?