(Pre-Script: If you aren’t into serious, truthful, heartfelt
confessions, this particular blogpost might be one you should skip. Come back
next time for some light-hearted journaling)
In keeping with our quiet and peaceful family traditions we
have welcomed in the New Year. More and more I recognise the
‘pomp-and-ceremony’ around so many of these celebrations ….. funny how we can
make something so very big of another ordinary day. And more and more I’m
‘decluttering’ my calendar and finding the joy of living each day to the full,
learning not to procrastinate in the things which matter and worrying less and
less about the things that don’t. The list of the former is a mini-collection
in comparison to the latter! I want the quantity and quality of my loving,
generosity, forgiving, compassion, selflessness and servanthood to increase and
not to miss a single opportunity to treasure and value the people God brings
into my life.
One of the things I’ve really confirmed in my heart over the
past short while is that people are so much more valuable than things! It
saddens me so deeply to see people almost killing themselves (ok, not
literally, but close!) as they protect some material possession, without
thinking about or caring for the people involved in the equation. How the
preserving of an item can be more important than the building of relationship
for some is beyond me! I’m all for learning to be responsible and careful, but
I choose not to be attached to anything material.
Another group of values anchored deep in my heart is
integrity-honesty-trust. I suppose I’ve
never been someone who thrives on superficial relationships driven by
conversations of weather, work and the price of petrol! I love friendships that
go beyond the surface stuff and are raw – and real – and my experience has been
that that only happens when integrity-honesty-trust are built slowly and firmly
over time. I am flabbergasted by people around me that choose to live on the other
side of the pendulum and think they can walk in meaningful relationship with
others! And I’m holding onto that trio of values more dearly than ever … and
avoiding the other side of the pendulum like the plague!
A friend posted on Facebook yesterday: ‘Do not love the
world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man,
the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from
the Father but from the world….. The world and its desires pass away, but the
man who does the will of God lives forever.’ I recognised this verse from the
Bible and soberly shared it with my family as we drove home together. It was
particularly meaningful to all of us as it echoed so perfectly the values we’ve
been talking through and embracing over the past few years.
I suppose I just deeply believe that the only good
investment is in things of eternal value! Its interesting how that conviction
affects the every day things we choose to do as a family – and the things we
choose to avoid. While many are making New Year’s Resolutions all over again, I
suppose I am choosing to do more of the things I did last year and the year
before with less ‘pomp-and-ceremony’ and more intention and purpose. And I hope
in the process we can encourage others on the way …….
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