A life with NO REGRETS

Over the Thanksgiving break, my son had homework. He didn’t tell me until three hours before bed Sunday night that he had forgotten to do it. His assignment was to write 100 things he is thankful for in complete sentences. Needless to say, it got me thinking of things I might be thankful for too as I helped add to his list.

Many times we get so caught up in what we want that we take for granted what we have to be thankful for each day. When I think of what I am thankful for… many things come to mind. I think our list changes over the years based on the circumstances we have faced and life experiences. It becomes more purposeful and introspective.

What are you thankful for? Your car, your house, your pet, your job, your bank account… Some times it takes facing unexpected circumstances to see what is really important to us. What is truly important to you? Who is important to you?

Why not think about it now and live with purpose. Show love to your family NOW, spend time with your kids NOW, take time to go to church and build a relationship with God NOW. Why wait until it is too late. Live with purpose. Love with purpose. Laugh with purpose. Live a life with no regrets.

Think about it… WHO do you have to be thankful for?

I am thankful for God who saved me from a meaningless, dead life and filled me with life and purpose. He has turned my whole life upside down for good and has left me radically changed for the better.

I am thankful for my awesome, incredible husband of 17 + years. He is my best friend, an amazing daddy, my cheerleader, and an inspiration to me. His walk with God pushes me forward to want more.

I am thankful for my two amazing boys full of life. I am thankful that they are healthy, happy boys who love God and each other (depending on the day). I am not thankful they are growing up… time goes by too fast.

I am thankful for family and friends who encourage me on a daily basis to keep walking forward no matter what life throws at me. Their prayers carry me through when I don’t have the strength.

What are you doing to show the people who mean the most to you in your life that you are thankful for them?

Show them with your words (verbally and written), your actions (physical expressions of love), and with your time (spend purposeful time with them with no agenda).

Think about it… WHAT do you have to thankful for?

Since struggling with health problems… I am thankful for some more specific things. I am thankful that I no longer have double vision, I can drive a car, I can eat solid food, I can make meals for my family, I can stand for long periods of time, my voice is strong, and that I have enough energy to accomplish everything I need to each day.

Since going on various missions trips overseas, I am thankful for a few other things you wouldn’t normally think of… I am thankful for clean, fresh water, “flushing” toilets, ice cubes, paved roads, a car to drive in, grass, shoes, a closet full of clothes, a house with solid walls on every side of it to live in with wood floors and windows, and a church to go to freely whenever I like with no fear of attack.

Many times after going on a Missions trip or visiting another country, you can come back experiencing “culture shock.” You begin to see your selfish lifestyle and the excess all around you and it offends you. You start to see that many of your supposed “needs” were actually “wants” and that you have more than enough of everything.

It’s hard to be thankful when we are being selfish and it’s hard to be selfish when we are thinking about the needs of others. One way to live with a thankful heart is to take on the attitude of Christ. Philippians 2:3-5 says

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had."

Choose to live a life with no regrets today. Be thankful for those special people you have in your life and SHOW THEM daily. Also be thankful for what you have… we have to remember that it’s not all about us. There are people all around us with needs. Look for an opportunity to bless someone else this holiday season. You might be surprised how much you are blessed in the process.

Living to leave a legacy!
Julie