Fall is one of the most wonderful times of year! Crisp morning walks, warm afternoon sunshine, brilliant fall trees, carving pumpkins, sipping ciders, and turning on the oven to bake a little more again! And.... we get to rake up all those leaves that swirl in the corners of our property and put on the gloves and climb the ladder to clean out those gutters!!
Yep. The beautiful tree-lined street has given way to dropping those leaves, adding more jobs to our honey do list. Even as I type, I can hear my fellow Iowans... "Sure, but it's better than scooping snow!"
I've found that every growth in our lives produces a harvest AND a responsibility.
It is easy to love the fruit of the harvest. The fruit is rewarding and energizing. It overflows with promise, as it not only feeds us and those around us; it also provides the seed for the next season of growth.
The harvest is also a lot of work. It takes time and energy to get the fruit and manage it accordingly. It's cleaning up what's left behind and preparing the soil for a season of rest and the next growing season ahead.
So it is with our lives, the people we love, and the people we lead. We can't let the adrenaline of harvesting the fruit overtake the responsibility to clean up what's left behind and then to prepare the heart, mind, and body for a season of rest and the next growth season.
It's so easy to be overtaken with short-term results that we miss the long, steady work of growth in our lives.
My daughter Natalie is growing as a high school student this year. She is putting her best effort in and yet worrying if it is enough. Yes it is, my child. One step at a time. Go to bed and sleep. We'll wake up tomorrow and do our best again.
Living our best lives is filled with growth, clean up, rest, and preparations. We do it all over and over again. Let's not short-circuit our lives with short-term results. Living in sync is about rhythm and harvesting the best results long-term. Let's embrace what is happening - put our energy into where it needs to be and allow for rest after the hard work is done.
I love this tree I found on my morning jog today. I was taken by the bursting brilliance of the red leaves and the gentle turning shades of the yellow in the midst of a vast supply of clinging green life.
It is a picture of transition and change. A beautiful symbolism of how we ourselves experience transformation in our lives.
Sometimes so gentle and slow that we hardly recognize it is happening. Other times we experience a bold breakthrough that catches our attention and we know that our lives will never be the same.
If you hang out much around young children, you know this is exactly how growth happens. Consider learning to walk. Slowly. Faltering. One step forward and two steps back and boom on the bottom. And then suddenly - it's done. She knows how to walk. And by then she is not only walking, but running and there's no stopping her.
The slow and steady work that gives way to the suddenly.
Don't judge yourself when you are in the stumbling barely recognizable beginnings of a life change. It's challenging and kind of messy. Yes. Just the same, it is as beautiful as the changing colors in this tree if we only step back and see the big picture. Your can trust your suddenly will come and what was once hard will become easy. Your life will never be the same.
Living your best life is colorful, radiant, and filled with various shades of transformation. The depth of the bold breakthroughs are set within the shades of ordinary and and every color in between only adds richness.
Remember to enjoy today everyday. This, my friends, is how you live in sync with the rhythm of grace and live your best life.
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. - Greek Proverb
At the beginning of 2015, our church hosted our annual Vision Night. It is here I shared our prayers and dream of having a ministry devoted to 'tweens' ages 10 - 12. Following the service, 74-year-old David made a beeline to me. "Sign me up!" he said with enthusiasm. After we clarified what he was signing up for :>)... I knew down deep that somehow our tween vision was really going to happen this year.
Here we are 10 months later and his enthusiasm has not slowed down - but grown! He has hung artwork in their new classroom, dug out resources for class time, encouraged parents, and done an incredible job of connecting with the young people. He brags on their artwork, asks how they are doing, and even shares his own needs so the kids can pray for him. David consistently prays for the young people and families and wants nothing less than God's kingdom to be revealed in their lives.
He is a model of following Jesus in the golden years.
As I look around at the world I live in, I give thanks for the 'grandparent generation' we are blessed to have. They are the ones who...
- give big hugs and make us feel loved and valuable no matter what
- have good conversations that aren't distracted by their cell phones
- remind us of our manners and what's important in life
- share stories and jokes and wisdom along the way
- celebrate our accomplishments, big and small
- faithfully pray and give generously to us
Are they perfect? Have it all together and figured out? Nope. Most are well aware of that. But they do have a purpose and I am thankful they are here to share it.
Let's honor the older generation and make sure they know how precious their investment is in our lives. Their purpose has not diminished with age. They are truly in their golden years and have the most to offer us. And let's listen to their lives and follow their example.
Living our best lives includes receiving from those who have gone before us and allowing it to shape us into better people as they are.
Today I took a quick jog on my lunch break. With a full schedule planned for the day, I didn't even take the time to put on headphones to listen to music. I'm so glad. About halfway through my run, the church bells began to ring. Within moments, echoing peals of Amazing Grace filled the air and my heart.
Absolutely delightful.
Refreshing. Centering. Joyful. Wholeness.
All this richness in under five minutes.
Which brings to mind a moment from yesterday, when my daughter Natalie arrived home after a five-hour show choir rehearsal... "Mom, it smells so good in here! What did you make?" Watching her peek into the apple crisp on the chilly fall afternoon was nothing less than absolutely delightful.
I remember that feeling from my own childhood. Coming off the school bus in the afternoon, I RAN into the old farmhouse as mom always had a snack awaiting us. Very often, something warm and yummy that she baked fresh. Best part of my day! Every single worry and care I had melted away as I absorbed the wafts of homemade breads, pies or cookies.
One of the keys to living our best lives is to find and relish daily delights.
Too often we relegate the care of our lives and stress management to things that take more time or money than we have on a daily basis. Massages, vacations, long workouts, leisurely dinners, movie nights, sleeping in... you name it. All wonderful, but highly impractical in our day to day living.
I suggest you make a list of daily delights today. Things you can do in 10 minutes or less that really can make a difference in the amount of joy and peace you experience.
Here's a few to get you thinking...
- Get a move on it - stretch, breathe, jog or walk a lap around the block.
- Listen to your favorite song REALLY loud.
- Light a candle and enjoy the scent, as well as the flicker of the flame.
- Slow down to savor a favorite beverage or snack.
- Shower or in a tight pinch just wash your hands / feet / hair with a favorite soap.
- Read the comic section in the newspaper.
- Pray through a Psalm.
Most of all, enjoy your life right where you live it. What is right around you that you really enjoy looking at? Smelling? Hearing? Take the extra moments and absorb it today and always.
After all, living your best life is simply about living your best day every day. Enjoy it.
