Listen here.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”
— Annie Dillard
I’ll admit, I get a small thrill out of seeing Amazon packages show up at the door. Usually I’m disappointed because they have my bride’s name on them, but every now and then, there’s one for me. I especially love Amazon’s “subscribe and save” feature. Items we need for the household just show up at the door every month without me having to think about it. Vacuum cleaner bags, organic oatmeal, Tide Pods, Mrs. Meyers hand soap, Nectar electrolyte packets, a water filter for our refrigerator, and #4 coffee filters. All of these items contained in a large 6-sided box sealed with that distinctive Amazon tape.
This made me think about my life. If I were to put all the things in my life in a box, what would be in there? Not only physical items, but also people, thoughts, concerns, ideas, fears, hopes, dreams…all the things that make up our lives. Let’s peel back the orange tape and do a quick inventory:
- Your spouse or significant other
- Your children and their well-being
- Your job and the people who count on you at work
- Your dogs or cats
- The grudges you can’t seem to let go of
- The car you drive
- The house you live in
- Your favorite sports team(s)
- Your relationships with your mom, dad, and extended family
- The crippling fears that wake you up in a cold sweat at 2 AM
- The clothes you wear
- Fantasy sports betting
- Your physical health
- Your favorite and least favorite political figures
- Your good/bad habits
- What you believe about the meaning of your life
This list could go on. But let’s stop there. I like some things in my box; some are neutral, and others I hate. Like anyone, I want to maximize the good and minimize the bad. I want control over what goes in and what stays out. I can throw away old clothes and replace them with new ones. I can throw out toxic relationships and pursue life-giving ones. In my case, I could finally replace my 2012 Toyota 4Runner with a newer model, but then I’d have to put car payments in my box, and I don’t want to.
Life often feels out of control, so controlling the controllables seems like the logical thing to do. The truth is, we have little to no control over most of the things in our box. The leader you thought would change your life turns out to be human. A health diagnosis turns your life upside down in a single doctor's visit. The kids you poured your life into go off the rails, making you feel like a failure.
You’ve got stuff in your box I didn’t mention. So do I. I have a short assignment for you today. Take fifteen minutes and do an inventory. What are you carrying around that needs to be thrown out? Who or what are you trying to control that needs to be released? Our lives are happening right now, one hour, one minute at a time. I want to make mine count. I believe you do too — that’s why you’re reading this.
What’s in your box matters. Choose wisely.
See you next Sunday.
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