Are you making a list, checking it twice?

I’m not asking about the list of Christmas gift giving. Or whether you’re evaluating who is naughty or nice to receive a lump of coal or a gift.

I’m asking about the list of things you want to do differently in 2021. Dare I say, the list of ways you want to BE different?

I’ve been paying attention to emotions that have surfaced again as we’ve navigated the myriad losses of 2020. In fact, thanks to Aundi Kolber’s great book Try Softer, which my husband and I read together in March, I am able to pay compassionate attention to what I am thinking, feeling and experiencing. Yes, those are three separate ways of knowing yourself.

In the language of the Enneagram, we have three centers of intelligence: mind, heart and body. Your thoughts, emotions and physiological experiences are all different ways God has given us to know Him and know what we can offer others authentically. The Enneagram is helpful to me as a tool of compassionate understanding; knowing how we see and respond differently to the same situation has given me new perspectives of others rather than my negative, internal judgy thought patterns.

The list I have been making and checking twice includes some elements I have not wanted to look at.  I am learning to pay compassionate attention to what I’m going through; I am able to see, to feel and to acknowledge my experiences with more honesty than in the past. My list includes

• not ghosting on conversations
• following through with projects I start
• being kind in my internal dialogue (think: being less judgy of me and others)
• taking initiative to reach out to important people in my life
• making time priority for creativity and for getting outside
• cooking healthy meals
• minimizing physical and digital clutter

I’ve been paying attention to my habits in each of these areas. Sometimes what I see is hopeful. Many times what I see is process. Work that is not yet completed but progress is taking place. All of it is important. Valuable. Even when it’s not finished.

I have come to appreciate the Biblical concept of grace in deeper ways than a simple, rote definition. Yes God freely gives us grace but also invites us into the process of transformation by His mercy (see Romans 12:1).

How do we do that?

We pay attention.

Back to the list. What little things have been floating around the edges of your awareness like a bug flitting around your head?

1. Write them down.
2. Pray through your list, asking Holy Spirit for insight regarding action.
3. Tell someone what you’re doing
4. Ask for prayer support and accountability
5. Find a group of people to talk about your list and stay engaged in your growth.

Why would you do this?

Growth is your jam! If you follow Christ, your entire life is intended to be changing from the inside out.

I’d love to pray for your list. Will you pray for mine?

In fact, consider joining me in January for four weekly 90-minute group coaching sessions focusing on Life, Love and Leadership through the Lens of the Enneagram. You can find out more information here.

Get a few friends together to focus, grow and learn. I’d love to journey with you!