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The "Someday" List
Have you ever had a list of "somedays" in your head? Not a bucket list but a "someday" list. A list of things you've often thought, "When I have the time, some day I'd like to look into...." or "Someday”, eventually, I'm going to....." It might be small things, it could be bigger life altering ones but you'll maybe, might, possibly, do this or that.... some day. There's always something or someone "more" important, "more" fun, a task "less" time intensive, "less" taxing to do or a "safer" route to take because "what if" (a whole other list for a whole other article) takes over and fear and doubt creep in, leaving you immobilized where these things are concerned.
There are things you know you've been saving for some day, we've all got them. Eleanor Roosevelt said "You should do one thing each day that scares you". She did not mean, necessarily, risk taking or potentially life threatening, such as jumping out of a plane or looking behind your washer for those missing socks....both extremely frightening endeavors! ;) She meant getting out of your comfort zone! Life really does begin at the end of your comfort zone! Long before, Mrs. Roosevelt uttered that quote, Christ asked Peter to step out of that boat, do you think that was comfortable?! Every time your heart starts to beat out of your chest from fear of the unknown, being uncomfortable in a situation lacking familiarity, it’s a reminder that you’re ALIVE. Consequently, every day you wake up is a GREAT day because it gives you another chance to fulfill your intended purpose while you're here....REMEMBER THAT!!!!!.....Why? Because each day is not just one step closer to eternal life, each and every one of us has purpose, a reason for being here, each and every day is a gift, bought and paid for with the ultimate sacrifice and there are no mistakes in your creation! He already knows your path, His plan has already been written!
If you only look at the "bucket list"...those big things you want to do, you may never look at the "someday" list and that may be where the real difference lies for someone else, even just one person, that you are meant to be a catalyst for, even if the task you want to undertake “someday” appears innocuous or personal. By working on your "someday" list, it may evolve into something else entirely that enhances someone else's life and their purpose....you've created a ripple effect and fulfilled a purpose that He has set forth! Sometimes you may know about the effects of your decision…..if you're lucky, it will be allowed to be shown to you. Sometimes you will never know the impact that you had by simply fulfilling an item on your "someday" list but you are still living His purpose for which you are here!
I can share one example, from my own life that, at first, appeared to be a personal goal that would benefit myself and my children but, in the end and in reality, had far reaching consequences that impacted at least one other person's life, as well:
For many years, especially after the age of 30, I knew that I "should" start exercising and eating healthier. It was on my “someday” list. I knew that it would be good for me to take my health more seriously, I also knew that it would benefit my children to see their mother doing so and to ensure that I could be around for a long time, God willing, to watch them grow and to continue to guide them through adulthood and parenthood. They had a right to expect me, and I have a responsibility to, take care of myself and BE THERE for them for as long as the Lord determines and by taking better care of myself, I could increase those odds. The problem was that I didn't think I had time, abhorred traditional forms of exercise, rejecting them as a young woman because I hate running on a treadmill like a hamster on a wheel, cannot stand to run if something isn't chasing me or I don't have a dog on the end of a lead in a show ring and because of a particularly traumatic aerobics class in my 20's....yeah, don't ask, I have rhythm, tons of it, but apparently, NOT for aerobics, or at least I didn't then! So, last year, I made one of the scariest walks of my life. I walked from the parking lot through the doors of a boxing gym! Yes, a BOXING GYM...float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, I am the Greatest, etc, etc. I had watched boxing with my Dad growing up, much to my mother's horror, and it interested me when a friend told me about this place and this trainer a year and a half prior!!!! Yes, I have a thick skull and it took THAT long for me to check this out!
The hardest part of anything I've done this last year was that walk from that parking lot through those doors and coming face to face with a USA Boxing Coach surrounded by a bunch of sweaty, pumped up men in trunks and gloves and with a bell going off in an actual boxing ring, and uttering the words, "I'd like to learn how to box." Thankfully, that trainer, a wonderful and patient man (who's younger than me, by the way) didn't laugh in this middle aged mother of two's face!! Instead, he (looked down at me and) said, "Okay, dynamite comes in small packages, we'll see what you've got." He told me my options for training and we scheduled my first session. As I turned to leave, with butterflies in my stomach, knowing that I do NOTHING halfway, when I decide to do something, and that I was actually going to do this, I had to smile when he said, "The hardest part was walking through the door, nothing I put you through will compare to that.....see you Thursday!" As I drove home, I was excited but wondering what I'd just committed to! As I shoved the excuses out of my head....what am I thinking? My knees are shot from gymnastics, track and a brief stunt as a cheerleader, what if I can't do this? What if I fail? What if I make an idiot out of myself? What if.....?....I crammed it ALL, set my jaw and spent the next two days, wondering how this would go. On Thursday, I SHOWED UP and so, it began. By the time he was forced to close his gym in May, I not only craved my workouts (although shipping ropes were still definitely a challenge!), I REQUIRED those workouts and my body had started to change, I was feeling better mentally and physically, I was eating protein bars, making better food choices to fuel my workouts, grocery shopping for better foods for the household. My daughter laughed at the thought of me boxing, my son was (I believe) secretly proud of his mom but feigned embarrassment when I would tease him about my "guns". My old "sports" injury pains had all but disappeared, I was at such a high level of cardio, I could notice the difference in my stamina, breathing and even the quality of my singing voice! I was healthier and I was feeling it! Other people had started to notice too and remark on the changes but, since that was never my motivation for doing this, I didn't take much note. The only thing I knew was I had to get myself into another gym or program and sooner rather than later because this was now a new way of life! After a slight delay and a little time off, I began doing a "bootcamp" style workout locally that included boxing, cardio, weight and strength training and I'm still doing this now. My new lifestyle and commitment to it had an impact on myself and my children, which was my intention. What I didn't realize was the impact it had on someone else in my life.
During the time period from about March on, I didn't see too much of one of my friends, we'd talk on the phone but I hadn't really seen her. I knew she was on another diet and was talking about having been walking and getting moving daily. I encouraged her on the phone, like I always had but I'm not one to judge other people on their appearance, if you're happy in your own skin, I'm good with that, if you're not....I'll cheer you on and be positive while you make the changes you deem necessary, I accept you as you are. I had only ever had one conversation with this person regarding her physical well being several years prior, telling her I wished she'd get healthier for her daughter because she was a single mom, a few years younger than me, we were in a large city and she was crying because she was having difficulty walking 10 city blocks at 29 years old! She was having a hard time breathing and was clearly in some distress. That's it, and as a matter of fact, she says she doesn't recall that conversation at all. I remembered it because I felt bad for having brought it up and being very stern about it. So, now back to the present….imagine my surprise when I did see her a couple months later (May) and she was down almost 60 lbs!!! I was FLOORED! I told her she looked fantastic and that I was so proud of her!!! We had met for dinner and she stuck to her diet, knowing what she could eat and ordered it. We caught up and talked about everything that had been happening in our lives....she commented about how fantastic she thought I looked and sounded, despite the stress I was under and we had a fantastic, fun dinner. I think I'd seen her a couple more times in the summer, each time looking slimmer, always encouraging her on the phone and making sure I told her how amazing I thought she was and praising her hard work and commitment. Fast forward to September and we're together and I look at her and say, "My Goodness! You look amazing, how much have you lost?" She says, "88 lbs. I have all this energy, I'm eating healthy, my knees don't hurt, I can't believe how good I feel!" I've got tears in my eyes, at this point, because she is soooooo freakin' amazing!!!! And then she says........"Do you know why I did this? Why I finally committed and stuck to it and got it done?"....My reply, "No but I hope you did it FOR YOU, FOR YOUR HEALTH, not because someone made you feel bad about yourself." She says one word, "You.".......I thought I heard her wrong and asked her to repeat herself. She said, "You." "You were my inspiration. I saw how good you felt, how it helped you through your personal struggle, how your body changed, how it helped your confidence to take control of your health and the example you were setting for your kids and I wanted to make some changes so I could feel like that, be like that. So.....You. You motivated me to want this and commit to it by your example." Okay, now I have tears streaming down my face because I never even considered this when I began my program. Never considered that what I'd done would motivate someone else to want to live better, to want to be healthy, to want to face their own fears and get out of their comfort zone. I was amazed, truly humbled and incredibly thankful for the One who had guided me to my own decision to reach beyond my comfort zone and walk through the doors of that first gym.
If you're lucky, when you do something on that “someday” list, you might get to find out the impact it can have on another. I don't know but I would hazard a guess that those around my friend, who have watched her determination and commitment have been inspired in some way...perhaps, just one of them has pushed through fear in an area of their life, using her inspiration, to accomplish something...whether it's simply getting fit themselves or carrying out a different plan they've been unsure of, in their own life. She may know this, she may not, I certainly don't, but what if that's the case?....Look at the ripple effect from one thing on one person's “someday” list!!!! "Someday, I should start eating better and exercising for my health for myself and my kids"…… I never expected that to change someone else's life, thereby changing her future grandchildren's life, she has the chance to help her daughter plan a wedding, supporting and guiding her as she contemplates beginning her own family!! She's, at the very least, given herself some very good odds, the best she can, to be around for a long time! Sometimes we get to "find out" how we made an impact and then see all the ways that our, seemingly, "little" decision led to someone else making a choice that also has impact, sometimes you don't but, I believe the possibility exists and just knowing that is enough for me to get moving on my “someday” list! Will you start hitting that “someday” list, no matter how innocuous or seemingly self-motivating…the item may be with faith that, little by little, we could all succeed in being a difference, inspiring a difference, impacting each other, showing Christ's love?? In my example above, I wanted to push through my comfort zone, challenge myself, get healthier for myself and my children…..practically felt propelled forward, and look what happened!! Not only did I do it, someone else did too, lives were changed!
During a service at my church, the Pastor said this (paraphrasing) and it can be applied to anything if you think about it, "It's not the size of faith that matters, it's the object. In other words, you have faith a plane will fly, right? Every time you get on a plane you have to have faith it will fly. Why? Because the plane (the object) has been tested and cleared and the object is worthy of our trust. There's no difference between religion or something mechanical, there has to be an object that matters." To apply this, for the purpose of what I've written about the "someday" list....if the things that you think you will do some day have been given to you, allowed to enter your conscious thought and you have faith that you will do them “someday”, then the object or objective (in this case) matters because it can be shown that it can, might, possibly impact lives, even if it's in a small way! It may be that whatever it is on your "someday" list shows you something about yourself and a need to go to Him and ask for change or a need for reflection but it's still going to impact some area of your life and affect others. Isn't that something we are all or, should all, be ultimately wanting to do, make a difference through the way we walk with Christ? To live a life through Christ that inspires others on their own journey? Don't have the time? There's a reason this is on a "someday" list, perhaps He is speaking to you in ways to enrich your life through the small things, His love for you and your well-being has NO bounds....remember, you are ALIVE, the price of your life was paid with His blood! MAKE the time, intentional time, and see where it leads you.....
Steve Maraboli said, "If you have a goal, you should write it down, if you do not write it down.....it is not a goal, only a wish". Have Faith in those goals, don't let your "someday" list become a "wish".....get out of your comfort zone, step out of that boat and do something that makes you feel uncomfortable! Growth is not always comfortable......but it is always worth it! I've written my "someday" list, you might be surprised what's on it but I've already picked my next item with a detailed plan of how to make it happen. I have no way of knowing how or when it may affect someone else but I know that He is leading me so that He can do more…..THROUGH me! What about you?
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