The little things in life that are meant to teach us. This weekend one little thing taught me a few lessons. Let me explain. This is the second year I collected monarch butterfly eggs from my garden. Last year I raised 18 butterflies, some of which I tagged to track. This year, I was actually in my garden when the monarch was laying her eggs and got to witness it first hand. I saw each leaf she landed on and was able to collect 25 eggs. I was so excited. This year was going to be better than last year.

Well, things didn’t go as planned. This year was NOT better than last year. I wound up with 6 larvae surviving to chrysalis stage. I have to admit – each time I would pass the habitat, a little part of me would feel really disappointed at the fact that this year was not as bountiful as last. Of course I blame myself for the losses – maybe I was less attentive this year, less patient, who knows. No one knows why things happen the way they do. We just have to be grateful for what we have. The truth is, butterfly larvae have a very low survival rate. So any one I was able to save is a plus.

This weekend I got to thinking – and the first lesson…….why am I upset or disappointed about what I don’t have? Why am I focused on the larvae I don’t have as opposed to the chrysalides I DO have? I just need to be grateful. Grateful for the 6 surviving ones, grateful for the opportunity to experience nature in this way and grateful for the joy it brings. As you can imagine, gratitude changes things.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given my mom advice about looking on the bright side. Sometimes I get really frustrated because I feel like my advice is falling on deaf ears! Therein lies the second lesson – take your own advice missy! This got me thinking about self awareness. How self aware are we? Do we give advice to others but fail to follow that same advice? Do we get frustrated at others for doing the exact same things we do?

So today I choose to be more self aware and grateful. I’ll “stay in my lane” focused on the positive. How can I claim to be a glass half full type, if I’m focusing on the negative.

Are you a glass half full or glass half empty type? What are you focusing on in your life? Today, work on self awareness and focus on the positive. Choose gratitude! God bless you!

Our actions have consequences – and sometimes they’re not immediate! That’s what came to mind when I prayed with Isaiah Chapter 39 today. Actually the first thing that came to mind was: sometimes being an open book is not the best thing. Hezekiah showed everything he possessed to the son of the king of Babylon. In this chapter, Isaiah warns him that one day this would come back to “bite him.” Isaiah reveals that one day Hezekiah’s descendants will be taken and made attendants in the palace of the king of Babylon. Hezekiah didn’t seem too concerned. His response was: “there will be peace and stability in my lifetime.” His lifetime is all that seemed to concern him.

Is that how we operate? We work so hard in our lifetime to gain peace and happiness and stability but how often do we think about what we’re doing to get it? Have we given much thought to how our actions will effect those who come after us? The little white lies, the gossip, the cheating that “doesn’t hurt anyone.” The environment isn’t the only thing we should be thinking about when we think about the legacy we’re leaving our descendants.

Today, let’s commit to be people of integrity and intention. Let’s consider what it means to live in complete alignment with our Christian values – digging deep even if it hurts. Let’s consider doing things differently by shutting off the “autopilot” in our brains and do things on purpose, approaching every thing in our lives with a clear “why?” Most importantly, let’s not forget to invite Jesus into all these considerations because He is the only one who can give us clarity. Follow His lead, you will never be disappointed -astonished maybe but NEVER disappointed! God bless you!