Guard Yourself

 

Surround yourself with people who desire for you to be and do better.  

Long ago a chose friends who 'got' me.  I hung around people who were fun.  I didn't really think about the ramifications of hanging with those that were heading down the wrong path.  If they were having fun and I was having fun, we hung out.  In most cases, this worked out well.  In other cases, I could have saved myself some heartbreak and a lot regrets.

Now, my life is so different.  I have an amazing group of friends that make me better in many different aspects of my life.

Yesterday, I was cooling down and stretching with my morning F.I.T. Boot Camp friends.  Erica, my friend and fitness instructor, challenged us all to practice guarding.  She asked what are some things we should guard in our daily lives.  I knew mine immediately.  My attitude.  My days can be so crazy and stressful.  I can choose to let my attitude get out of control or let my attitude be that of a servant.  Servants don't really get to choose to serve.  They just serve.  No matter what is thrown their way, no matter how others treat them, they serve.  I need to guard myself in this area.

The precious girl next to me shouted out, "Peace!  I need to guard my peace."   I needed to hear that.  I would have never thought about guarding my peace.  Never, but guarding my peace is exactly what I need to focus on every single day.  

Our schedule gets increasingly crazier every year.  We have reached the stage of life where we are gone each night.  Some nights we are a split family.  From the 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock hours Monday thru Friday it is balls to the wall at our house.  Still hanging on to the time we all sit and eat together, I have to cook up something fast, get it on the table, eat, and then clean it up in world's record time.  All of that prep time sometimes leaves me barking orders to get the table set, toys cleaned up, uniforms on, homework finished, reading done, it goes on and on and on and on...

It totally defeats the whole purpose of eating a meal together.  It takes so much stress and dysfunction to get dinner on the table, everyone needs the prayer just to forgive the whining and rudeness directed towards each other.  

Peace. I need to guard our peace.  I set the tone of how we prep, start, and end our dinner together.  Whether that means I need to prep more in advance or make meals simplified or go out for dinner, peace needs to be guarded.

I am thankful for those that surround me during the week.  I am thankful for those that challenge me to be better without even knowing it.  I am thankful I finally decided that I would be like those I hang around so I'd better choose the best people. I am thankful I have so many that speak life into me so I can, in turn, speak life into others.  It's not just what I get from others, but what I can give to others as well  So I hope this has something for you.  I hope you leave today with a thought about what you want to guard today.  Is it your attitude?  Is it your peace?  What is it?  We all have something.  Guard it.  Make yourself better today.