For some of us learning to say no is a difficult thing. I know not everyone has this issue, but for me it is a reality.  The issue becomes even worse when you have to say no to a great opportunity.  The truth is that every time we say yes to something, we are in return saying no to something else. We only have so many hours in the day, and so many days in the week.  As I see it the real danger comes as we keep saying yes to more and more.  When we do this we typically end up saying no to things that should really be a priority in our life.  We only have this one life to live.  We can’t go back and redeem the time.  This is why it is so important to learn to say no, but even more important than that is setting priorities.  When we are asked what our priorities are in our life, or even what we want to be known for we can give a list of what we deem to be important.  Our relationship with our spouses, our children, and family members usually top the list.  Also our relationship with God (if you are into that kind of thing) also makes the list.  We say we want to give back and contribute to society and help those in need. Yet in the mix of all that we say yes to why does it seem that the very things we set as a priority are the very first things that get cut from our schedule.

Now I’m not making a case for being lazy.  We shouldn’t say no to everything. In fact sometimes we need to say yes and get off our butt and go do something. This is more about taking the time to understand what our priorities are in life and then saying yes to making time for them. There are moments and situations when we do say yes to something but understand that something else will need to be said no to. What we must not say no to are our families and relationships.  We can’t say no to our relationship with God either (once again if you are into that sort of thing). We can’t say no to serving and giving back. Living a disciplined life means saying no to really great opportunities.  There is no way we can do it all, though at times we try. We end up burned out and have no time for the things that are really important in life.  This is something I must constantly remind myself about. At the end of my time here on earth I want to look back and know that I did the best I could with my time.  It is easy to identify the things we waste our time on, but it takes diligence to identify the good things we sometimes need to let go of. This is not so we can have more leisure time for TV, internet, vacations, sports and all the other things we fill our days with. Not that those are bad things. Rather it is about having the time to give to those things we say are a priority in our lives.

The other night my two daughters (age 2 and 1) were snacking on some goldfish crackers. My wife gave them each a handful. Quickly our youngest noticed her older sisters pile of goldfish.  She was no longer interested in her own stash, she wanted her sisters.  The funny thing besides that they were the exact same thing is that upon closer look our youngest actually had more in her pile.  As my eldest valiantly defended her stash from being poached I couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. A moment later I realized how we often do the same thing.

Well we finally had some time to take a family vacation.  Even if you are entitled to vacation with your job it still seems like a fight to make time for your vacation.  This is especially true for us since me and Kristi both work full time jobs.  If you add to that full time ministry for me and the challenge can become greater yet.  Our girls are still young so we can’t go do some adventurous treks across the country, or navigate the globe. Well at least not yet. J Wherever we go is not as important as it is to spend time together.  We run so hard most of the year. I realize this will only get compounded as our children get older and have school, and are involved with other things.

I was so thankful for the opportunity to get away for a few days.  For me vacation is about getting away from it all.  Breaking routine and finding some escape from the trappings of life.  I even go as far as to leave my phone off and to ditch social media and the web.  I just need to disconnect from it all.  I know vacation is different for everyone but I would encourage you to try disconnecting from your phone and the internet for a few days.  Try to focus on the face to face relationships happening right in front of you.  I think sometimes we get so caught up with a screen in our face that we tend to ignore the most important people around us.

This year we went to the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan.  The girls loved to swim in the pool at the hotel.  They had a smaller kid’s pool with a slide and a fountain.  It was definitely a hit with Braelyn.  We got to spend some time on the beach.  It was a nice beach for being on a lake.  The state stepped in some years ago to save this portion of beachfront.  Flanking each side of the beach a ways down is steel mills, and to the other side a nuclear power plant.  They were far enough off that they didn’t really impose too much on the beach.  We planned on taking a train into Chicago from the dunes but the girls communicated in their own way that they weren’t so keen on spending that much time in an umbrella stroller.  We will save that for next time when they are a little older.

It was an interesting region filled with heavy industry and beach tourism.  With the relatively short drive from here and the cost it would be somewhere I would recommend checking out.  There are several towns and beaches to check out on the Indiana and Michigan sides.  There are also several quaint bread and breakfasts in the area to stay at. If you want to go spend a little more you could always rent a home on the lake front as well.  With the addition of an inexpensive train ride to Chicago it has the potential to be a great vacation spot.  I have a feeling we will be heading there again.

I am exceedingly thankful that we have jobs that afford us the opportunity to provide for our family and that also allows us time to get away together.  In a world where we go faster and work more and more it is so important to disconnect and spend time with the ones who really matter the most.  In the end it doesn’t matter how much you worked, or earned. We are all gifted such a short time on this earth.  It is imperative that we make our family our priority. It isn’t about a fancy vacation it is about spending time together.  That is what really matters, taking a break to get refreshed and spending time with those who matter the most to you.

Life is a gift.  There are times when this statement may seem far from true.  You may agree life is a gift, but one that should be returned to the store with all the other lame gifts we have received.  I understand this can be even more challenging in the times we live in. We live in a broken world, and this makes life a challenge and difficult at best.   This is even without mention of the recent economic hardships we are facing.  Yet in it all life is really a gift.

Life is a precious gift from God. Our time on this earth is short.  The Bible makes it clear this life is fleeting (James 4:14).  While we as Christians have hope in what is to follow our time here on earth, we still want to make the most of the time we have here.  It is easy to get caught up in all that is broken in the world, and one doesn’t have to look far to see the injustice and seemingly cruel hand life has dealt so many people on our planet.   Even so our hope is in Jesus, and we still must be willing to accept this gift, the gift of life.

Last year I had the privilege of becoming a father for the second time.  Watching the birth of both our children has to be the greatest miracle I have ever witnessed.  How amazing and wonderful to see our daughters born into this world. What a marvel to see their tiny little fingers and toes, and to see how perfect they were.  It is so easy to get caught up in all of the noise that surrounds us; we soon forget how precious life is, and how astonishing a new life coming into this world really is.

Now I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t explain why so many people have to suffer. I have yet to grasp why some are so wealthy and have anything they want and some don’t even have the basic nutrition they need to sustain life.  I cannot give you an explanation why innocent people die tragically, or why our family members suffer with heartbreaking ailments.  While I can’t answer these questions I still believe life is a gift from God.  It is frustrating that our human brains cannot comprehend all that we see going on around us.  Yet in it all God is in control (Isaiah 46:9-10).

It is so important that we live this life with everything we have got.  This isn’t the dress rehearsal, this is the real thing.  I think of the song “I Hope you Dance” and how true those lyrics really are.  The last thing we want to do is sit by and be a bystander to this amazing life we have been given.  Life should be pursued, celebrated, and cherished.  Don’t sit it out, chose to dance, chose to live life to its fullest.  Take chances, mend broken relationships, and pursue your passions.  Life is too precious of a gift to waste.

I understand life can be daunting.  There are times when we don’t even want to get out of that bed.  We may not always have the answers, and we still out our hope and trust in God (Romans 8:28).  I challenge you to live life with all that you have got.  Do not wait for tomorrow or for your situation to change.  Life will always present challenges, we know this with certainty.  Don’t take your eyes off Jesus.  Remember this life is a gift.  Chase after it with everything you have got. So what has caused you to recognize how precious life is?  What experiences have you had?  I would love to hear from you in the comment section below!