I love to talk about this topic because it was a powerful turning point for me that’s now a part of my daily life and who I am. Maybe it will be for you too.
The first I remember thinking about living my values was as a kid in about second grade when my Mom and Dad went to a parent night at my school. It was a time for them to meet my teacher, have a chat with her… and then for some reason my Dad opened my school desk. In it, he found that I had a Mad magazine. Oh boy…. You youngsters probably haven’t seen one, but it’s still around – a trashy “teen comic book” that’s probably only gotten worse through the years. Well… my Dad was not happy that his little girl was reading it. Not only did he flip through it a bit with me to point out what I was actually putting into my tiny noggin (so embarassing!), he also said something else I never forgot. He told me the deeper truth: when people buy that magazine, the money goes toward making more of them and did I really want to contribute to that? I not only thought about it then, I still think about it decades later! If my values say I don’t want to contribute to continuing something by supporting it, I need to stop. I did!
Have you thought about living your values?
We talk about choices a lot on Reset Higher because all of us make lots of them every day, some big and some small. Both kinds affect our lives and where we end up. Bad choices lead to consequences that could have been avoided – we can all tell stories about those! Here’s an example: to end up in a place of addiction, the trail can be followed all the way back to a starting point of one bad decision that grew into many more. On the other hand, no one ever regrets making good choices because they grow in the right direction. They make our lives better and better! They align with our values.
Proverbs 16:16 (NIV) says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!”
If you’re looking at a chain of bad decisions in your life, here’s the best news you’ll hear all day. Just as coming to this point in your life started with one bad choice, you can begin to reverse it right now by making one good choice today. Then keep making them over and over again. You don’t need to think about it, just do it!
• Do you value honesty? Don’t lie.
• Do you value justice? Do what’s right.
• Do you value health? Take care of yourself.
• Do you value food with better ingredients? Support manufacturers who offer them.
• Do you value clean and positive entertainment? Don’t watch what isn’t.
• Do you value kindness? Help others.
• Do you value your family? Invest in them.
• Do you value being loved? Give love to grow more.
• Do you value the good? Don’t contribute to the bad.
• Do you value peace? Be a peacemaker.
• Do you value others? Love your neighbor as yourself.
• Do you value a relationship with God? Spend time with Him in the Bible and in prayer.
RESET HIGHER: Is there anything in your “school desk” that goes against your true values? Take it out and make room for choices that will take your life in a better direction. Start today!
