“Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ”
My Dearest MacKynzie,
Every spring I stand in the front yard and glare at our home. An entire year has gone by and you can see it by the shape of the shrubs. They remind me of when my beautiful little girl wakes up in the morning after a good night’s sleep, with curly cues and wild hairs sprouting out of what once was a beautifully groomed base. Instead of grabbing the hedge trimmers and chopping away without a plan, I take the extra time and look at the big picture and how it all ties in together. Sometimes I start with a little trim, take a look and then realize that it needs more pruning. It always amazes me how, when taken care of properly, a plant that looks dead during winter can sprout back and look more beautiful than the year before.
Each year we go through a similar process sometime between new year and spring. We stand back and take a look at our life and all of the pieces come together to create a landscape. There are always some bushes that we’ve let grow out of control. Typically it is in the form of overeating, working too much, fear, anxiety, laziness or an overabundance of screen time. These little branches that were once manageable take over the front yard and hide the beautiful flowers that will soon be in bloom. If we don’t take that time to be intentional and put the work into trimming the bushes, we miss the beauty that lays behind the layers. The days are evil and if we live unwise, weeds will consume us.
So, how do we use spring time to brighten up the landscape of our lives?
1) Make a choice to take off the cruise control. Sure, it’s easier to continue on the path you are headed. Gliding through the routines you’ve put into place, the obligations you’ve committed to seeing through, even spending time on the yeses that should have been nos. The first step is to make a commitment to yourself that you will no longer be on autopilot. Yes, I will make time to clean up the yard.
2) Take a look at the entire picture, then start off with the areas that are the easiest. When I’m cleaning up my yard in the spring, I start with the leaves. It takes very little thought to clean up leaves. When the job is complete, I am motivated to continue because I see progress and transformation start to take place. I'm sure when you are looking at the big picture, there are some areas that you can clean up in your life that are simple, easy and don’t take much effort. Start there.
3) Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. Trim a little then stand back and take another look. Sometimes when you trim a branch, you see a flower that you never knew was there. Take some time to admire the flower and enjoy the process and the progress. A lot of time when I stand back and look at a project like cleaning my house, I immediately get overwhelmed because every room is a mess and there is so much to do. If I instead focus on one room or task at a time, it makes completing the entire project much more manageable. What one area of your life can I start with?
4) Use the right tools. If you tried to cut each branch with a butterknife, it would probably take weeks to prune a single bush. The beauty of life as a Christian is that we don’t have to use a butterknife and do it all with our own effort. When we are working in alignment with God’s plan, that butterknife turns into a powerful electric hedge trimmer. All we have to do is guide it along the bush and it does all of the hard work. Trying to do it all by yourself is like shoveling with a fork . Take some time to pray for God’s wisdom, strength, peace and courage as you work through some things that are challenging and may not even seem impossible.
5) Have a plan. If you go into this job without a plan, several things could happen. First, you could start off in a sprint and burn out before you even complete the first task. Second, you could find yourself cleaning up the neighbors yard instead of your own. Third, you get discouraged because you have no way to measure progress. The process of cleaning up the landscape in your life could take 2 weeks or it could take 20 years. Honestly, when you think your finished, it’s probably time to start all over. But, the more you practice living off autopilot, the easier it will get. Start with a plan on what steps you will take that will make you closer and closer to loving your yard again?
6) Find accountability through someone willing to speak truth in love. Cleaning up the yard is more fun with two people, even if one is just sitting in a chair sipping on a lemonade. You don’t have to go on this journey alone. You might be surprised at how supportive the people around you are when you are willing to open up about your plans. This person can help encourage you when you feel like quitting and give you an outside perspective. Just make sure this person has a solid foundation because if they are struggling with some of the same things you are, you may pull each other down instead of lifting each other up.
Live to inspire others. My love to you and my prayer for an amazing life!
The purpose of this letter is to inspire my daughter MacKynzie to live a prosperous, God loving, joyful, legacy building life. Who knows, it may help you too. Please ‘like’ if you found this letter useful and please ‘share’ if you want to help inspire others. You never know who is watching ;)