Sunday, July 25, 2010

Fresh

I love the feeling of 'fresh'. When the sun is shining just right, the breeze is blowing just so, even when the rain is falling at times. I hate the feeling of 'stale'. When a relationship has a fresh edge to it, it is alive, growing, vital. But it can grow dull, dead, stagnant. This is true of a job, a relationship, a church, a person's spiritual life, and of a person's life in general. How can we keep things 'fresh'?

1. Stay curious and growing. Forward motion generally encourages freshness.
2. Keep out poisons. Bad attitudes, unforgiveness, bitterness, irritation, and just plain wickedness will kill freshness.
3. Press through tiredness. Sometimes when we are tired we are tempted to make poor choices. Realize that if you press through the tiredness, on the other side you will have freshness again. This is about learning to rule our emotions instead of letting our emotions rule us. Times of tiredness are inevitable. Having strategies ready for them is wise.
4. Enjoy, delight, be thankful. Take the richness out of what is before you and enjoy it. Chew good food slowly (or at least enjoy wolfing it down!). Think about what you are thankful for and what you do have rather than what you don't have.
5. Have out with the Creator. No one is more fresh and alive than the One who is Life itself. He creates life, gives life, sustains life...He is Life!