Finding your Happy Place
Take a minute and think about your life's work. Does it give you the satisfaction, joy, or sense of pleasure that you need in order to know that your life truly matters?
If you can answer yes to this question, please, let us hear more about where you are making a great difference, and who the everyday beneficiary is of your life's story, services, or products.
If you have some difficulty in saying yes to the question, don't worry. But please, begin to think more about what it is that you may need to begin doing today so you can leave a more positive and lasting impression or legacy.
Many people, including myself, can become inundated with the daily routine of life that we fail to make sure that we are staying committed to this life-long journey of adding value to others.
However, before we can truly add value to others, we need to give ample time to be refreshed and renewed ourselves. And if you're the type of person that enjoys soft background music, try instrumental soaking worship.
So, let's first admit the need to find a place and time that is not only beneficial for reflection and meditation, but is freely accessible so you can be there on a regular, and consistent basis.
Once you have located such a place, don't miss out on the importance of scheduling this time in an actual calendar. Although it might seem like you are being selfish, protect this time by not allowing other things in life to get in the way. If it helps, see this time as an investment in you - which is after all, your greatest resource.
As for what you may hope to achieve during this time alone, it is important to understand that you will now be positioning yourself for continuous growth and development. Therefore, make good use of this designated time to think intentionally about you and your life's activities. In the beginning, I recommend that you invest at least thirty minutes of time, and you give yourself the first five minutes to identify/name a specific area of life that you want to see improvement. And once you identify this area, define your goal for this session by writing it in a journal, in one or two sentences.
During the next ten minutes, begin to write down the different thoughts you have about life. And for the next five minutes, look for any connections you may have. Then, close out your time with the final ten minutes to consider any valuable next steps that you need to take.
Once the thirty minutes of time concludes, take what you have learned and simply give it over to God in prayer. In other words, do this with a spirit of gratitude since God has likely revealed some places or ways that He is inviting you, with His help, to give more of your life's energy.
Again, the purpose for this time is to connect with God and to learn more about what He is saying to you. And a short outline of the process that I find to be helpful is as follows:
One final image that I believe will offer each of us some hope, can be found in reading the following passage of scripture. Consider it my prayer for you and me. Ephesians 3:14-19NLT.
'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.'
As you begin to work this plan into your daily routine, I pray that we each find more time to be refreshed and renewed so that we use our life for the continuing good of the city, and for the Glory of God.
Colossians 3:23-24
'Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.'
If you can answer yes to this question, please, let us hear more about where you are making a great difference, and who the everyday beneficiary is of your life's story, services, or products.
If you have some difficulty in saying yes to the question, don't worry. But please, begin to think more about what it is that you may need to begin doing today so you can leave a more positive and lasting impression or legacy.
Many people, including myself, can become inundated with the daily routine of life that we fail to make sure that we are staying committed to this life-long journey of adding value to others.
However, before we can truly add value to others, we need to give ample time to be refreshed and renewed ourselves. And if you're the type of person that enjoys soft background music, try instrumental soaking worship.
So, let's first admit the need to find a place and time that is not only beneficial for reflection and meditation, but is freely accessible so you can be there on a regular, and consistent basis.
Once you have located such a place, don't miss out on the importance of scheduling this time in an actual calendar. Although it might seem like you are being selfish, protect this time by not allowing other things in life to get in the way. If it helps, see this time as an investment in you - which is after all, your greatest resource.
As for what you may hope to achieve during this time alone, it is important to understand that you will now be positioning yourself for continuous growth and development. Therefore, make good use of this designated time to think intentionally about you and your life's activities. In the beginning, I recommend that you invest at least thirty minutes of time, and you give yourself the first five minutes to identify/name a specific area of life that you want to see improvement. And once you identify this area, define your goal for this session by writing it in a journal, in one or two sentences.
During the next ten minutes, begin to write down the different thoughts you have about life. And for the next five minutes, look for any connections you may have. Then, close out your time with the final ten minutes to consider any valuable next steps that you need to take.
Once the thirty minutes of time concludes, take what you have learned and simply give it over to God in prayer. In other words, do this with a spirit of gratitude since God has likely revealed some places or ways that He is inviting you, with His help, to give more of your life's energy.
Again, the purpose for this time is to connect with God and to learn more about what He is saying to you. And a short outline of the process that I find to be helpful is as follows:
- First (5) minutes: name the area (life's goal) that you believe God wants to help you with.
- Spend (10) minutes, journaling your immediate thoughts.
- For the next (5) minutes, discover what connections and insights are noticeable.
- Use the last (10) minutes to outline and define the next steps you will take.
- Lastly, give your plan to God in prayer, and commit your energy and effort to move forward.
One final image that I believe will offer each of us some hope, can be found in reading the following passage of scripture. Consider it my prayer for you and me. Ephesians 3:14-19NLT.
'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.'
As you begin to work this plan into your daily routine, I pray that we each find more time to be refreshed and renewed so that we use our life for the continuing good of the city, and for the Glory of God.
Colossians 3:23-24
'Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.'
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Amen