Sometimes I feel like my life is insane & crazy busy. I work a full time job, help my husband with his business, run my own small business, write a blog, take care of our home, & all sorts of other little things. It’s really easy in all of that to start to live life like I’m a drone…just going about my day on auto-pilot, not really thinking, feeling, or appreciating the things around me. If your life sounds anything like mine, take a moment to stop & breathe. Don’t let yourself become so busy that you miss out on the bright, shining jewels God places in your life. Those little jewels may be other people, they may be strangers of family members. Those jewels may be moments of peace & rest or moments of revelation. Those jewels may be a book, blog, or article that opens your eyes to teach you something new. Whatever [or whoever] it is, those jewels are things placed in your life to remind you to be thankful for who God made you to be, to remind you to be humble, kind, & gentle, to remind you to have compassion & love for others to reflect the same love God has given you. Don’t be so busy & focused on your lists that you miss those.

I came across one of those jewels recently. You see, my full-time job requires that I talk to numerous strangers throughout the day. The jewel God placed in my life was a lady in a 10-minute conversation by phone. I don’t remember her name, but I remember her face & her spirit. I remember that she had such a sweet, gentle, humble nature. When she could have gotten angry or frustrated, she chose gentility & kindness instead. This lady has lived on this planet for a long time. She struck up a conversation with me…on the topic of recent politics, of all things. Now, you’d think a conversation on politics in our current world would not bring good things, but honestly it did. We talked about our country’s new president, the election, & others that campaigned. The thing that brought me hope was that we could both peacefully, respectfully, & kindly agree on something…that it wasn’t about who was running the White House or the country, but about whether God is in our hearts & in our country.

I won’t tell you the details of the conversation because that’s not really the point…so don’t get stuck on that previous paragraph. Don’t start some angry political conversation because of this, because again, that’s not the point. The point, the reason this lady became one of those jewels God placed in my life for just a brief moment, is that it was the reminder that it didn’t matter what I believed about politics or who is/should be President- what mattered was kindness, love, grace, gentleness, & God. She was a reminder that what matters is people. PEOPLE matter. Are you so busy & focused on your to-do list or what you want that you forget to care about PEOPLE? Are you so focused & driven by what you believe on politics or what’s going on in our world that you forget to care about PEOPLE? Are you so steadfast in your political beliefs that you forget to respect PEOPLE- even the ones you disagree with? If so…slow down. I’ll use the cliché phrase: “stop & smell the roses”. Remember that whatever is happening now, there is more to life & God has something incredible in-store for you. Take hope, take encouragement, take humility, grace, love, peace, & joy in Christ because HE is what matters- His love & forgiveness for you & how He wants you to share that with others…THAT is what matters.

So…if your life is crazy, if you feel like you’re letting the world spin past you at 100 mph- MAKE yourself slow down & look for the jewels & lessons God places in your life to remind you of who He is & what is truly important. Don’t get distracted or so busy you miss the jewels in life.

Be blessed, friends.