One of my friends from Community Group (who I will call "Kevin") told me about a simple technique that he uses to better appreciate life and God's blessings. At the end of each day, sit down and try to come up with a listing of 3 things that you can count as blessings for the day. It doesn't matter whether this is done mentally, in a public blog, or in one's personal journal (what used to be called a diary in the old days). Kevin said that it is important to "write down some good things that happen each day as a reminder that even on seemingly bad days, life is good." I tried to do this for a while, but my efforts ebbed away. I tend to get bound up by the negatives, by the everyday, by the usual fatigue associated with too much input and not enough output. Even when I recognize the good that this brief contemplation brings, the recognition of God in my life and the world around me, I still cannot make myself carry out this simple exercise, this beneficial discipline. Sometimes I want to do something, but another part of me is as stubborn as a mule and will just not make a move, even when this can lead to self improvement. I still am amazed at how some things that I do in my life happen naturally, with no chicanery or effort, while others are just such a struggle, such a weight. I know that others battle with this type of thing as well. So for now, just a gentle reminder to revisit and to reconsider those disciplines that were set aside.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Stubborn as a Mule
One of my friends from Community Group (who I will call "Kevin") told me about a simple technique that he uses to better appreciate life and God's blessings. At the end of each day, sit down and try to come up with a listing of 3 things that you can count as blessings for the day. It doesn't matter whether this is done mentally, in a public blog, or in one's personal journal (what used to be called a diary in the old days). Kevin said that it is important to "write down some good things that happen each day as a reminder that even on seemingly bad days, life is good." I tried to do this for a while, but my efforts ebbed away. I tend to get bound up by the negatives, by the everyday, by the usual fatigue associated with too much input and not enough output. Even when I recognize the good that this brief contemplation brings, the recognition of God in my life and the world around me, I still cannot make myself carry out this simple exercise, this beneficial discipline. Sometimes I want to do something, but another part of me is as stubborn as a mule and will just not make a move, even when this can lead to self improvement. I still am amazed at how some things that I do in my life happen naturally, with no chicanery or effort, while others are just such a struggle, such a weight. I know that others battle with this type of thing as well. So for now, just a gentle reminder to revisit and to reconsider those disciplines that were set aside.
