Finding your balance and your happy place in life seems to come down to aiming at a moving target. There’s no one size fits all, one right way for the rest of your life. It’s like life balance, elusive and frustrating to try to pin down.
But if we can learn to adjust, be flexible, roll with the unknown, and keep our good humor, life will be far more delightful!
And that’s what I’m aiming at today, to sharing how our goals and dreams may translate better from fixed absolutes to moving targets. As in, this is the general idea and as God further inspires and directs, I’ll adjust! Flexibility, grace and good humor are mandatory if we want to live this life well!
Flexibility
Being flexible came easily as children, didn’t it? As we grow a bit older each year, we have to work to maintain flexibility we used to take for granted. And perhaps that’s a bit like making the transition from childhood to adulthood. As children, we had to remain flexible and responsive to our parents wishes, but as adults we get to make more calls and decisions on our own.
And yet, it is so important to remember to consider others that may be impacted by your decisions. To check in on them and work to create win/win scenarios. Not because you can’t make a decision on your own now, but because considering others is so important! It is far too easy to become self-centered and consider only ourselves. And while it is important to work to determine what God is calling you towards, I do believe He also wants us to consider others and be a blessing and encouragement to them.
Sometimes that may look like completely changing your plans to adapt to another, but other times it is important to also value yourself enough to choose your plans. Life truly is a moving target. Ask God what He would have you do and accomplish and then do your best to pursue that. Don’t lose yourself trying to please others – because there will always be more that you can do. But on the other hand, do seek to be a blessing and give of yourself wholeheartedly! There’s no perfect one size fits all response, but it’s important to work at determining where God is leading!
Grace
Grace is so important to extend to ourselves and others. Rarely will things go as we hope and anticipate. Plans will change, opportunities may pass us by, there are always a handful (or more!) of unknowns thrown in the mix. Grace allows us to adapt to the changes and things we didn’t see coming with ease and peace, not in a frustrated or impatient way.
Often the response of another can push my buttons a bit. Grace doesn’t let me keep score or have a rude reaction. God is so kind to heap piles of grace on us. We would do so well to accept and share this grace with others. Patience when a response might be less than ideal. Understanding when another is running late. Kindness when someone is predictably themselves in a scenario that is repeating itself.
Grace doesn’t keep score, doesn’t set itself up to be disappointed, and isn’t down on another. It rolls with the complex situations of life and presses on with kindness and understanding. Grace is an important form of love that seeks to see the best and cheer another on, rather than highlight the error and inconvenience. We would do so much better in life if we would choose to step forward in grace!
Good Humor
A good sense of humor is a wonderful thing and it will take you far! Have you ever heard the quote, it was either laugh or cry. In my mind, that relates to so much of life. You can either take it too seriously and get annoyed or cry. Or you can take it lightheartedly – not too seriously! – and laugh! I certainly try to take things lightheartedly. And believe me, when you look for the comedy in life, you will find it!
I would far prefer to see the good natured side of things then be down and out because things didn’t go as planned. If you haven’t caught on yet – and I don’t mean this in a pessimistic way – things rarely go according to plan. Life is far more complex than our simple minds. There are so many details and exceptions and caveats we haven’t considered that take our plans on incredible journeys that we can’t even anticipate.
And isn’t that so kind of God to create a complex life that we won’t grow bored and complacent to? He has plans and details and opportunities beyond our wildest imaginations if we will keep Him first! So why wouldn’t we keep our good humor, have a ready smile on our face, and a light heart? God created us for a purpose and it is up to us to discover what it is!
Finding our own path, our unique calling, our purpose is like aiming at a moving target. We must make constant adjustments and make sure our focus is correct. Flexibility, grace and good humor will take us far in this endeavor! And think how much more delightful we will be to be around. Just imagine how much better of a representative of God we are when we fill our roles happily instead of disgruntledly!
Until Next Time!
Hope.