This past year we all had to give up a lot. You can call it “stuff” if you like. It may have been going to a restaurant, working out in a gym, going to church, or visiting friends. Like me, you did not want to give up any of it, did you?
But, in looking back, it turns out that last year, 2020, was our opportunity to find out who we are without all this “stuff” in our lives. How did you do? Me, not so well. It really affected me and I didn’t like me very much. I bitched and complained quite a bit and wasn’t very optimistic about much of anything. I definitely wasn’t the person I wanted to be. Luckily, I had family and friends to love on me, even though much of it was remote. That got me through a very difficult time.
In looking ahead, I expect 2021 to be a lot better than 2020, not because all of the stuff we have been so used to may eventually come back, but because I learned a lot from my behavior in 2020 and intend to change it. I didn’t much like it, so now the question becomes, who do I want to be when this stuff comes back? That is up to each of us to decide. We may never get back to “normal” ever again, but that doesn’t mean that we continue to complain about it. No. We need to seek to be the best we can be by bringing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control into our lives every day. All we need to do is be open to receiving them. This is what I will do because this is who I want to be in 2021.
How about you??
Much love, Jim