Category: Soul

You get to decide from the experiences you want to create—beginning with the end in mind. This exercise will help you clarify what is important and once you get this clear vision you can sketch out your game plan from there. The specifics and the details of all that needs to be done will not just come from head knowledge but heart knowledge. If you accept this challenge and take the time out to do this exercise this will change your experience. I think we get so caught up in the doing that we neglect to think about the why we are doing what we are doing. This exercise is a game changer. It’ll help keep everything in perspective.

Advent is about waiting and watching. We are invited to be still so that we don’t miss God’s loving embrace among us. A slowed pace is antithetical to our North American approach to this holy season in the life of the Church. We have the longest to-do list of the year when it comes to Christmas preparation.  Our foot is on the gas pedal. We jump out of the car and race around the store. Our fingers scroll through our online buying options, searching for gifts that will be dropped at our doorstep the very next day. We bake. We entertain. We inscribe cards. Even in our churches the pace ramps up as children rehearse for their parts in the annual pageant (which I always love!) and folks brave the cold to go caroling. I invite you to intentionally slow down. When you catch yourself breathlessly rushing toward a neighbor with your own agenda, put on the brakes. Maybe someone is excited to tell you how their pastor outlived a tired church carpet! So, when the adrenaline rushes as you panic over what needs to get done in a December day, breathe deeply. Turn your heart heavenward.

“Everything” doesn’t mean only what is pleasant, good, happy, fun. “Everything” means, well, everything, all that life brings, including the difficult, challenging, hard, sad, and unpleasant. Giving thanks in everything involves broadening your perspective on life and understanding there is always something you can view with gratitude.