It is almost a bit of relief that the holidays are over. Don’t get me wrong, it is a favorite time of year for me, albeit not like it once was when the kids were young, or even when the grandkids were younger. I enjoy watching the movies, eating the goodies, and spending more time with family, but let’s face it… for me, it is more emotionally exhausting.
Physically, I didn’t do much other than travel, and that is a whole other subject, if you will. My brain feels like a ball of twine that just goes around and around… one great big ball that might have a beginning but never an ending. Is there anyone out there who can relate? The older you get, the more the brain stores, and it tends to overload.
So here we are, at the beginning of a New Year, one we can only pray will be better than 2025. It can be, you know. A lot of it depends on the parts we can control. Attitude is one of those things that makes a difference, how you perceive things from the get-go. For example, when you get up in the morning, do you see it as a “present” from God? Are you dreading it… or embracing it? I found myself dreading it because all I could think of were the bad things going on around me—including, of all things, traffic! Such a small thing in comparison to other worldly affairs.
For me, though, my world can seem rather small, but it is my world, and it is your world that I speak of. It was when someone reminded me that our days are gifts from God—blessings we are given to bless others. I also came across a little book called “It’s Not About Me” by Max Lucado.
Our society is not wired for this kind of thinking. It’s a “me-centric” world out there, which destroys much of what should be good. Marriages are ruined because one or both partners are focused on their own happiness. Successful men and women are ruined by their own success, believing they don’t need anyone else’s input. And for some, life’s troubles are magnified because they believe life is all about them—as Max himself points out.
So no, it isn’t just about me, myself, and I, but about your neighbor, the cashier at H-E-B, the girls who hand me my coffee at McD’s or Jolt, and the person you walk by that you don’t think to speak to or smile at.
This is our world that we share with others, like it or not, so why not make it a present, not only for yourself, but for others as well?
Kindness has a way of passing on. Let’s work on being kinder to one another. It will do your heart good. Just think… if CHRIST had only thought of HIMSELF???
