So, how was your weekend?
Mine was actually really great.
Interestingly though, my weekend wasn’t filled with all of what I had planned to do . Rather, this last weekend was filled with a bunch of things that I had NOT planned to be doing.
For example, I never planned to spend an all-nighter at the ER with our youngest son, nor did I plan on having to take care of a pop-up, last minute work project.
In short order, all of MY plans got tossed out the window, and just as I was starting to feel a bit stressed about all the things that weren’t getting done that I had planned to do, two quotes by CS Lewis from his article “First and Second Things” came to my attention.
The quotes that literally jumped off the page at me were:
“Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: put second things first and we lose both first and second things.”
And “When first things are put first, second things don’t diminish, they increase.”
When I read those quotes, I realized why I was stressing. I had been putting second things (my list of to-dos) ahead of first things (God’s will for my life in that moment).
And once I had that realization, all of the stress just seemed to up and evaporate, and I was able to see the blessings of the moment that I might not have even noticed, let alone appreciated if I had still been focusing on second things.
Blessings like spending uninterrupted time with our youngest son and opportunity for in-depth conversation. Or the joy of knowing there is no immediate medical crisis when receiving the “all clear” in the aftermath of seven hours of tests and exams. Or the opportunity of being up in the pre-dawn hours and seeing the sun rise. Or getting to spend time and get to know my co-workers, neither of which would have happened as easily without having to do the project that needed to be completed.
So, although I didn’t get all the things that I wanted to get done like I had been planning, it turned out to be a really great weekend.
All because I simply put first things first, and then let God increase all the second things.
Hope you allow God to give you a great weekend of your own soon!
Christina Semmens is a Roman Catholic author, speaker, and coach and host of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast. She currently lives in Fort Payne, Alabama where she strives to live out a life of authentic discipleship in the pursuit of holiness while empowering, teaching and accompanying others in striving to do the same.
Click here to sign up for a FREE 15 minute connect call with Christina
CHECK THIS OUT!
I am going to be doing a very special Unhackable Purpose and Goal Setting Masterclass on both Saturday, August 28th at 8:30AM EST OR Sunday, August 29 at 8:30pmEST. I have received many requests for me to offer this special Masterclass, so, I am doing an all-new teaching to help you get focused, set priorities and goals and get that to-do list under control so you will experience that life of purpose, peace and abundance you were created for!
YOU WILL LEARN :
- How to determine your personal Passion Recipe
- Simple ways to prioritize your time so your most important tasks always get done.
- Setting and aligning your goals to help you pursue and achieve your deepest desire
- How to balance home life with work-life, so you never feel the guilt.
- How to recapture the feelings of excitement, joy and freedom that you once felt before life buried you in to-do’s.
As we head into the fall, the time you take for this one hour training will pay off BIG, so make sure to sign up for this one hour, power-packed training RIGHT HERE! I want to really go deep with a small group, so I am making two options available–either Saturday, August 28th at 8:30AM EST or Sunday, August 29th at 8:30PM EST. Your registration will grant you access to whichever session works for you!
Hope to see you there!
If you are enjoying these posts, make sure to get a copy of Christina’s latest book, Say Yes: Discovering Purpose, Peace and Abundance in Daily Life either on the Say Yes to Holiness website, or here on Amazon.
To learn more about how to embrace the life God created you for and discover more purpose, peace and abundance in your daily life, then become part of the Say Yes to Holiness Movement! You can do that by either joining the Say Yes to Holiness Community group hosted on SmartCatholics, or joining the Say Yes to Holiness TODAY Facebook group here. For FREE challenges, events and Masterclasses, check out the Say Yes to Holiness Movement on the web.
To receive notifications about all upcoming events and receive the weekly Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter. Sign up here.
Subscribe and listen to episodes of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast here, and subscribe and watch the Say Yes to Holiness YouTube channel to be inspired and encouraged on the path towards holiness as you make your faith an integrated part of your daily life.
More information can also be found at: www.sayyestoholiness.com and www.christinasemmens.com
