So many posts like this focus on what we need to remember when things are tough. But I’ve found that I can lose my way in the good times as well—sometimes even more easily. Here is my list of foundational things I try to always remember no matter what’s happening around me.
1) Focus on Relationships, Not Things or Circumstances
The important part of life isn’t found in destinations, things or even circumstances. Life is a journey, and it has ups and downs. It took sending a son off to war to solidify this in my heart. Even now, I do my best to never waste a moment with any of my kids.
2) Remember That God Is a Constant Companion
The Bible tells us that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. That fact gives me the stability I need to process life. God is my constant companion. Even more importantly, He’s always with those I love, no matter where in the world they are.
3) Being Right Is Not a Good Goal
In addition to being a control freak, I also score off the charts in competitiveness. For years, I thought being right meant winning until I actually had a stupid argument with our deployed son. I can’t even remember the details, only that I did my best to force him to see that I was right about something insignificant. In my stubbornness, I wasted precious time I could have spent more joyfully. It was a hard lesson, and one of the regrets I remember most clearly.
4) Love Looks Different to Different People
After I had kids, I began to realize that love looks different to different people. One of my sons values words of affirmation; another wants my time; still another enjoys gifts. What says love to me won’t necessarily say it to those around me. When I take the time to find out how to communicate with my loved ones, everyone gains.
5) God Loves Those We Care About Even More Than We Do
Just writing these words gives my soul breathing room. It didn’t matter where my son was deployed or what he was facing. I could rest in the fact that God loved him—and was in the process of showing him that love in ways I couldn’t even imagine. God’s love carries protection, peace and permanence. That fact will get us through the most difficult circumstances life can throw at us.
Life’s journey can trip us up even when the sun is shining. When we make sure our priorities are solid, though, we will not fall.
