The Dash

The Dash

By Linda Ellis

It matters not how much we own,

the cars, the house, the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

and how we spend our dash.

Someday your grave will include two years and a dash.....What will have happened in your dash?

Tuned vs Calm

Over the last few years the New Years Resolution as become, and is becoming, less and less popular. Replacing this idea is the "My One Word" philosophy. This year I chose one word to focus on throughout 2011 and that word is:

Tuned

I selected this word because I want to be more in tune with God, Family, Friends, and even random people whom I cross paths with in work and life in general. This idea of being in tune does NOT mean I want to immediately know the desires and needs of everyone all the time. That is unrealistic. I have always respected and admiring people who have a quiet leadership about them. The people who are amazing leaders but aren't necessarily speakers. These people lead by listening and identify and/or clarify solutions simply by listening and knowing when to speak. I believe this to be an important skill and a biblical skill:

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James 1: 19-20

The book of James is full of amazing resources speaking about this very topic and I highly recommend reading this book, as well as the book of Proverbs. There is a very important reason this topic is written about in the book God breathed. This is important but I have struggled with this in the past and I chose the word "Tuned" to focus on and build this trait in me throughout 2011. However, I have discovered that being tuned in this way requires something else first:

Calm

Fortunately the word "Calm" was my second choice for my one word in 2011. I discovered that in order to achieve this skill of quiet leadership I admire SO much, I need a sense of calmness in my life. I wouldn't say I am angry or overly emotional, but I certainly need to work on calmness in hurried and difficult situations. An important addendum to this concept is that I want joyful calmness. Having a sense of calmness is pointless if you will just depress people. I want a joyful calmness in my life and I discovered the calmness is an important requirement to being tuned.

I still will focus on being tuned but this is a 2012 word. 2011 must be focus on calm, a joyful calm present in all areas of my life. I very much recommend this philosophy because one word allows for failure, improvement, and eventual success (on some level) at the conclusion of the year.

Amazing Poem

Disturb us, O Lord disturb us,

O Lord, When we are too well pleased with ourselves;

When our dreams come true only because

we have dreamed too little.

When we arrive safely only because

we sailed too close to the shore,

when with the abundance of things

we are losing our thirst for more of God;

When in loving time, we have ceased to dream of eternity,

When in our desire to build on the earth

we have lost our vision of a new heaven.

-Anonymous