Community

What does your community look like? Who is on your list to call when things go wrong? Who is on the invite list when it’s time to celebrate? Your community is everything. They are the people who you choose to share your life with no matter what. They are the shoulders you cry on and your cheerleaders in the stand. Make sure that your community is filled with truth tellers and wisdom seekers. Your community should be filled with people who can shine a light on your places of darkness and speak to where you are going. Your community should be filled with people who know the real you and love you anyway. Your community should be filled people who know where you are have insight into where you are going. I’ll ask again, what does your community look like?

Cherish

cherish verb

1a: to hold dear : feel or show affection for

b: to keep or cultivate with care and affection : NURTURE

2: to entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and resolutely

Life is not promised. Say, “I love you.” Hug a little longer. Call when someone crosses your mind. Say, “goodbye.” Send that text. Do something unexpected. Make a kind gesture. Be affectionate. Forgive. Forget. Let it go. Show the people you love that really cherish them before its too late.

Correction

I have never been a fan of rules. I was definitely a child who challenged authority and tested limitations. On the flipside, I despise consequences. I learned at a very early age how to glean wisdom. I learned that I could learn from the mistakes of others. I did not have to repeat the sins of my father or mother. I prayed for wisdom. I prayed that generational curses ended with me. I prayed that I learned the lesson the first time. I've made a lot of mistakes, but for the most part, I haven't made the same mistake twice. Correction is not something we should run from. Correction is wisdom, sometimes wrapped in hard lessons. Correction is God allowing us to change directions. Correction is God saying, "there's a better way." 

Character

Character is what you do when no one is watching. Character is what you do when only God is watching. For most of us, our character is revealed under pressure. How do we respond in times if intense pressure? What bubbles to the surface? Do the people around us see the best in us or the worst in us? Our character is directly linked to our moral compass. Do we have an understanding of what’s right and what’s wrong? Do we live our lives in the gray area? What do we really believe in?

Capacity

When is enough, enough? When are you officially done? When do you decide you can’t take it anymore? Is it when you’ve run out of energy? Is it when you snap? Is it when your body responds? How do you know you are at capacity?

Most of us think that because we are capable, we have capacity. We have to reprogram ourselves. What does your “yes” cost you? Does it take away from your personal time? Does it take away from your family obligations? Is a “yes” necessary at this very moment? Can it wait? Can you delegate?

I am just beginning to realize that I don’t have to do everything. I’m learning that things will eventually get done, just not on my timeline. Those dishes can wait. The laundry will never be completely done. Your to do list never ends, and guess what? It’s ok. You are only one person and you can’t run on empty.

Collateral Damage

Every action has a reaction. Sometimes, our actions affect people in ways we never imagined. We can’t control all the variables. We can’t control all the reactions. We have to deal with the outcome. We have to pick up the pieces. We have to deal with the collateral damage.

Love Covers

In a day and age when everyone seeks to expose, we must remember that love covers a multitude of sins. I'm not saying that we should turn a blind eye. I'm saying that eventually everything does come to the light. We should not stand in a place of judgement casting stones. We should stand in a place of grace and mercy ready to forgive. The same way we would want God to be with us. Cover each other. Remind each other that we all fall short of the glory of God, but it is Christ that redeems us.