Good Morning Friend,
When was the last time you really laughed and enjoyed life?
You know I was thinking the other day while hanging out with some friends that it had been a while since I really enjoyed life. You know really laughing out loud, enjoying simple things like kicking it with a good friend, stretching out on the couch in my favorite PJs and socks watching TV, taking long walks along the waterfront, enjoying a meal from my favorite restaurant and laughing at something funny that I might have remembered when I was by myself. Life (and the issues of life) can wear on you and literally suck the…well life out of you. Even in our everyday pursuit to "become" and to "make it" if we are not careful our pursuits can get us to a place where we are constantly in search of something and never really just taking time out to breath and to be "human" (if I may) for a minute.
Friend, I want to encourage you today to take time out for YOU this week. If I may be honest with you, there have many times that I have buried myself underneath my work because there were some inner enemies that instead of just dealing with them, I would make myself so busy that (hopefully) I would forget about the pain, the loneliness, the frustrations of dating, the struggles in pursuing a better life and the journey of finding myself and becoming a better me. So I would (and sometimes even now) find myself trying to go into protection mode (as I call it) where my work becomes my best friend and every success becoming my streams of happiness and joy. Until one day this fool proof lifestyle caught up to me and I felt myself having an emotional meltdown right in the middle of all this stuff that I had gained that I thought was making me happy—but it wasn't! Actually, I finally realized that the more I gained, the unhappier I became because I refused to deal with the enemy in me.
It wasn't until this point in my life that I realized that God wants (and requires) us to have a balanced life. Where we love and serve him wholeheartedly but where we also enjoy the life that we lead. God wants us to be whole people, not only in our religious pursuits but in our family life, love life (love life…YES I said it LOVE
Think of it this way, every time you refuse to live life to its fullest in every aspect that concerns you, you take the validity out of the stripes that God bore for you. Every time we refuse to simply take time out for self and family and allow life's vicissitudes to beat us down we discount the cost of the blood that Jesus shed for us. I have learned (and am still perfecting) the principles within me that will lead to a quality life. Know your breaking points and try to keep yourself away from those parameters. Find what keeps you sane and what keeps you on focus. It may be reading a good book, exercising, spending time with a special somebody, or maybe even just lounging at home by yourself. Whatever it is—find positive ways to release all the negative energy that bombards us all on a daily basis and take the time to do that which will keep you centered and whole in life and in God.
For me (and you can ask my Personal Assistant/Administrator) I try to make sure that I don't schedule any meetings or anything important on Monday evenings and every other Saturday morning. That is the time that I take out just to see about Clyde L. Webster. During this time I may go to the spa and get a massage, go see my girl Dana and get a mani and pedi (and it aint' nothing wrong with a man taking care of himself…just thought I would drop that out there), do a lil shopping (MY FAVORITE!), sleep in, go out to breakfast with a friend, my mom or one of my little brothers or just spend some quality quiet time at home. During this time I am no longer minister, inspirational author, life coach, confidant or any of the things that I am on a daily basis (which I do enjoy wholeheartedly by the way!). But during these brief moments in time I can forget about graphic designs and marketing, church work and traveling and just enjoy myself and my life. It's these few hours that I take out weekly (along with praying and meditating on the word daily) that help me keep things in perspective, help me keep my passion for the things I do on a daily basis and help keep a brother sane! What do you do or what can you do to make sure that you are remaining in-tuned with yourself? Selah. (Pause and think about that thing for a minute!)
So if its been a while since you have smiled for no reason, laughed out loud until your stomach hurts, danced like you are the only one present, took a picnic, let your hair down and smelled the fresh air…take the time to do so this week. It doesn't cost you a thing to love on yourself! Furthermore, when it's all said and done its all about the QUALITY of life we possess rather than the QUANTITIES we pick up along the way. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that we should be prosperous and abundant—but when the pursuit of things overtake our pursuit and grasp of real joy and happiness its time to put things back into their proper perspectives. So live, laugh, love and know that God gets pleasure out of you living a wholelistic life rather than a life of stress, strain, tension and loneliness. You can do it! And you deserve it! Here's to you and a "whole" new you!
Much Love,
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