2015 – No Tips to a Better You

I wonder how many late December – early January days of my life have been lost chasing that elusive bit of advice that would change my new year to the “best year ever.” During those lost moments I’ve read some wonderful articles, blog posts, and even books that have inspired me and, in many ways, paved the path to a better future. And, at some level, I’d like to be able to offer the shining clump of wisdom that would change your 2015 to an incredible adventure where all the valleys — those dry gulches and parched prairies — are but a hazy bit of memory as you gaze out from the mountaintops you will conquer.

But I can’t.

So much of life is simply life. It’s composed of good things and bad things, deep breaths and shallow breaths, laughter and tears, health and sickness, great decisions and poor decisions, wonderful consequences and horrid consequences, and, ultimately, life and death.

Before you chalk that last sentence up to gloominess and despair, take another look. Life is filled with much good.

As part of my work, I often travel alone. When I’m eating or waiting on a plane, I many times simply listen to the conversations around me. I haven’t taken a scientific approach to it, but my best guess is that the object of my eavesdropping would end up 3 out of 4 times in the negative, “Oh woe is me!” category. Think about it. Much of our talk with friends and even strangers begins with “You won’t believe what happened to me . . .”

We glorify the bad. Doing that has some positive effect. It lets people know how we are hurting and how they can shape their prayers on our behalf. It explains why we may not be at our best. Yet, it also trains our minds to look for and exalt our perceived misery.

So, let me just list ten places where you will find good in 2015. Or better said, ten places where good will find you.

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• In 2015, good will find you in the company of little children who haven’t forgotten how to sing or to dance.
• In 2015, good will find you in the words of a good book that takes you away to a place you’ve never been where you will enjoy people and traditions you’ve never known before.
• In 2015, good will find you when you step outside your comfort zone to be a friend to someone who is socially, racially, and even spiritually different from you.
• In 2015, good will find you when you pause before saying an angry word.
• In 2015, good will find you when you consciously move to protect our world — this small planet God has given us.
• In 2015, good will find you when you ask for favor on behalf of someone else.
• In 2015, good will find you in tears you shed over the plight of others.
• In 2015, good will find you when you sit shoulder-to-shoulder with a friend.
• In 2015, good will find you when you begin to see that you are a valued and necessary part of God’s plan.
• In 2015, good will find you when you slow down and are still and try your best to understand how much you are loved — by God and by us, your friends and your family.

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In 2015, good will find you. Nothing else is really left for you to do except to share that good with others. Okay, so maybe there is one tip to a better you.