Today’s Tip is this:

Take time for some self-reflection to help you stay on track.

When we don’t build time for self-reflection into our lives and just let the demands and pressures and pleasures of life dictate our schedules and priorities, we can easily lose sight of who God has created and called us to be. A lack of self-reflection can lead to us getting off track of not just where we want to be in life but also who we want to be.

Taking time to reflect is an important part of leading yourself, and leading yourself well helps you to lead others well. Resist the urge to think that you don’t have time for reflection and begin to see it as time well spent to better equip you and make ultimately make you more efficient in your other responsibilities.

Today’s tip is this:

Taking time to rest better equips you.

When we rest, especially when it’s Sabbath rest where we’re truly resting in God, it restores us in ways that equip us to do what we need to better. Physical rest helps to restore our bodies, our minds, and keeps us healthy. Resting in God gives us rest for our souls. When we are rested, we can think better and have more energy and peace. What we are able to do and how we are able to live is more effective, more abundant and full. So why do we resist this so much?

It’s time to stop resisting and accept God’s invitation to take time to rest in Him.

In yesterday’s article we talked about the importance of letting gratitude fuel our wonder and worship. We hear all around us about the importance of gratitude, and yet we still struggle with it at times.

It is so easy to focus on our struggles and difficulties, the circumstances that we wish were different, how life feels unfair, and what we wish we had or were. All of these are distractions that take our eyes of God and who He is and what He has done for us. They cause us to become like spoiled children who are never content and really aren’t that pleasant to be around.

We don’t want to be that way, but it can be challenging to break the cycle at times. That’s for good reason. Jesus warned us in John 10:10 that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” What a better way to steal our joy and the abundant life that Jesus offers than to distract us from who He is and how much He has done for us.

So here is your tip for today:

Find ways to remind yourself to be grateful.

Gratitude may not come naturally for you. It might even feel like a struggle or battle. So give yourself some tools. Try out some different types of reminders and find something to consistently prompt yourself to be grateful. Maybe that is a picture or sign you’ll see you wake up. It could be a post-it note on your mirror or refrigerator. Maybe it’s a recurring reminder alarm you set on your phone or starting a gratitude journal. It could be any of these or more. You might need to try a few things to see what works best for you, but allowing gratitude to become a habit will be well worth it.

So, what are some reminders you use to remind yourself to be grateful? Share in the comments.

Today’s tip is inspired by Habakkuk 1:5 which says:
  
“Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days--
You would not believe if you were told.”


Reading this verse, brings this tip to mind:


Keep your eyes open to what God is doing around you.


It’s too easy to get distracted by all the pressures and pleasures of the world around us even, and maybe especially, in ministry. Remember to keep your eyes and your trust in God!