It’s Easy to Confuse Busyness With Purpose. Do What Lasts and Let the Rest Fall Away.
What do you want me to do for you? MARK 10:51
Every December as the year comes to an end, I set aside time to reflect on all the highs and lows of the last twelve months. I try to honestly evaluate things I got right and identify areas I hope to improve. And almost every year, my regrets aren’t about the things I did; I regret the things I didn’t do.
We regret trips we didn’t take in order to get more work done back home. We regret the kids’ soccer tournaments we missed. We wish we’d spent more time with close friends or reading and less time watching TV. We hoped we’d be further along in our writing projects and more involved at the homeless shelter.
It’s easy to confuse a lot of activity with a purposeful life. If we let our feelings determine our commitments, we’ll probably spend more time on the internet and less time on the adventures we long for. It’s nothing to feel guilty about; it’s just our natural response if we’re not clear about where we want to invest our time. We need to know what we want and why we want it.
What do you want to be remembered for? What things would you like to accomplish if you knew you wouldn’t fail? Who would you want to share life with, and where would you like to go? There’s a good chance there’s not much standing between you and those adventures, accomplishments, and relationships. You just need to get clear on what you want and make sure you want it for the right reason.
We never regret following through on the commitments we’re passionate about and the activities that last. Figure those out and let the rest fall away.
This is excerpted is from “Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey” by Bob Goff. Thomas Nelson Copyright 2019.
This book excerpt was featured in the December 22nd edition of The Sunday Paper. The Sunday Paper inspires hearts and minds to rise above the noise. To get The Sunday Paper delivered to your inbox each Sunday morning for free, click here to subscribe.
