Love Learn Lead January 26, 2017

Happy Thursday! We have almost made it all the way through January. Only 53 days until spring! I don’t like to rush time, but sometimes winter feels unending and I hate to be stuck inside. Where we live, we get snow that turns to rain, or just plain freezing rain, so there aren’t too many walks in the snow for us. Also, when we do get a wonderfully sunny day, it is still too cold to spend much time outside. So, no complaints here if the winter doesn’t drag on this year!

Here is today’s Love, Learn, Lead. Enjoy!

Love

First, let me tell you what I am not loving—the political climate in our country that feels electric and raw right now. Over this past weekend, between the inauguration and the woman’s march, my Facebook feed was full of posts—all conflicting with one another. There are people I love who were thrilled on Friday, and other people I love, who showed up to march in DC and around the country on Saturday. And though we may not realize it, I think in our own way, we are all looking for hope.

That is why I want to share with you Annie F. Down’s latest podcast, episode 23, in which she interviews her friend, Michael Wear. Having spent the first four years of Obama’s presidency, working in the White House on Faith initiatives, Wear has a unique perspective on the role politics should play in our lives. Better yet, he has an important view of the role we as believers, have to play in politics. This conversation left me hopeful and feeling lighter than I have the past few days. No matter where your politics fall, I think you will find it encouraging.

Learn

Earlier this week, I shared how I have learned the importance of taking stock of what is consuming space in my life and in my brain. In our current culture, it can be easy to fill our minds and schedules with things without truly assessing their value.

We glance at something on our phones, and twenty minutes later realize we have been scrolling through stuff that doesn’t really matter to us. We binge on TV shows for hours before looking up to see that a whole day has gone by. And then we wonder why we can’t seem to move forward with our dreams. Or, we are frustrated because we’re always feeling behind.

The best antidote to this problem, I am learning, is taking the time to reflect on what is most important. Sometimes this looks like spending time with my journal, praying about and then listing the things that are most on my heart and mind. I think through questions like:

What are my dreams for right now? —For the future?

What do I need to do to work towards those dreams?

Who are the people I am called to love and/or serve right now?

And how can I best make use of my time?

This month, my husband and I sat down and did this together. We’ve added some structure to our schedule to prioritize what we feel called to and to give us more headspace. Life doesn’t just happen to us; we have an important role to play in making our lives count.

How are you taking stock of what is consuming your headspace?

Lead

“People would rather follow a leader who is always real versus a leader who is always right. Don’t try to be a perfect leader, just work on being an authentic one.”

—Brad Lomenick, H3 Leadership