All Weekly Sharpening Posts

June 14, 2023

Don’t Miss the Goodness

“At this point in my life, I’m just trying not to miss the goodness of each day and bring my best self to it.” –John Ortberg

I rarely live like this.

I frequently miss the goodness of each day.

I’m all about bringing my best self to the day, but that’s usually with a “get stuff done” mindset.

I get lost in my tasks, to-do lists, and goals.  I fail to come up for air sometimes, much less seek the goodness of each day. However, I find accomplishing something and checking it off the list part of a day’s goodness.  I find joy in finishing the work.  I might be the only pastor at River West who prefers to work with his door closed and blinds shut while listening to techno-beats pumping through a noise-canceling headset.  It helps me focus.

Even before I read “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” I’ve been working on slowing down and creating new rhythms for my life, professionally and personally.  I’ve been practicing stillness through meditation and breathing exercises.  (Any Wim Hof fans out there?)  It feels good to slow down and center myself, but it does not come naturally.

I like the changes that the summer brings.  As much as I love our Monday night Bible study and coaching two nights a week, I’m glad my nights are free in the summer.  And as we know from our study in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

As part of my summer rhythm, I’m taking a break from writing “The Weekly Sharpening.”  It’s not for lack of ideas but an attempt to put the energy and time I spend writing into other pursuits.  Maybe even to seek the goodness of each day.

I know many of you work jobs that don’t look any different in the summer than they do in any other season, but I hope you will seek the goodness that God, in His loving-kindness, gifts us each day.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is the day that the Lord has made and we should be glad and rejoice in it (Psalm 118:24).

Thanks for reading my posts.  I pray they have encouraged and challenged you over the last nine months.

I’ll be back in your inbox this fall.