What Kind of Life Are You Creating?

If people were to judge my life in random five-minute increments, I wonder what they would walk away thinking.

Don’t kid yourself, we’ve all done it.

To the mom in the grocery with the screaming baby. Well, that’s what happens when you bring a baby to the store during naptime.

To the guy who honks his horn for you to press through the yellow light. Jerk.

To the elderly couple walking too slow on the terminal walkway at the airport. Why can’t they just stop holding hands and move aside? People have flights to catch!

To the lady who insists that every child must wash his hands before playing with the toys. Overprotective, much?

As I’ve pondered this reality and my infallibility over the last several weeks, it’s made me mindful of how I treat the people I love the most. We have a motto in our household: kindness, respect and gratitude. We say it to the kids often, usually when one whacks another with a school book or hip checks someone while walking by. But, how much am I really practicing it? How kind, respectful and grateful am I to the people I gave birth to and the man I pledged my love to 17 years ago?

That’s a rhetorical question, in case you’re wondering.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. No surprise there. But, somehow this notion of “gratitude” has become lost in the holiday. Don’t worry, I’m guilty, too. While I was out running errands this morning, mentally checking off my to-do list, I ran into an old friend. We talk often via email, but I rarely get to see him. As he gave me a hug and loved on my youngest, he said this: “Man, you sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year.”

Man, don’t we ALL?

Our lives are filled with gifts—the intangibles, not the fluff at the StuffMart. How are we nurturing those gifts? How are we creating moments that, when lumped together, create a beautiful life? As you cook that Thanksgiving meal this week, pray for the people eating it. As you embrace those you love, think about those who spend the holidays alone. As you begin making your Christmas lists and decking the halls, consider serving those who have nothing.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve learned this Thanksgiving is to be content. To be at peace. And, to start cherishing my life in five-minute increments so that it reflects who God truly wants me to be.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!