With so much advice out there in the world—everything from Pinterest memes to motivational plaques for your home office wall—we at Franciscan Media thought we’d simplify it for you. Life is about living, right? The ups and downs of COVID-19, war in Eastern Europe, and how our lives have changed has certainly taught us that. But to live and to be fully alive requires action. And that means adding more verbs to our vocabulary.
Here are the 10 that we picked to help guide you on your way.
Seek. Never stop being curious. Every day offers discovery. Shake off the lethargy and explore the world around you. God can be found everywhere you look.
Laugh. Life is serious, but living it is supposed to be fun. If the last year has taught us nothing, it’s that we need laughter, joy, and levity to lifted our battered spirits. Don’t feel bad about wanting to feel better.
Ask. No one knows everything—thank goodness! Questions are not only OK; they’re the key to learning and growing. Be curious. Ask questions. Never stop moving forward.
Forgive. It’s often hard to do, but it’s worth the effort. In Ephesians 4:32 it reads: “And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.”
Try. It wasn’t very popular in a galaxy far, far away, but it’s popular with us. If we didn’t try new things, we’d all still be in onesies and kid shoes. God loves our efforts!
Help. It’s easy to feel that there’s too much to do, that there are too many problems to solve. But even the least confident among us can usually agree there’s some way we can help—somebody, something, somewhere.
Create. Making something from scratch—whether it’s a meal or a piece of art or an essay—is essential to a fulfilling life. It’s a participation in God’s work of creation. It keeps us from getting stuck in a rut of living someone else’s story.
Reflect. Take time on a regular basis to stop whatever you’re busy doing and look at the big picture. Think, pray, write in a journal, talk to a friend. Find one of a hundred ways that works for you.
Thank. Gratitude, love, and humility all are intertwined. God, our friends, our family, our coworkers—there is always someone deserving of a “thank you.”
Listen. Before we can love someone, we have to know that person. To know someone, we have to listen. And sometimes the best listening we do comes through prayer.
1 thought on “10 Verbs to Live By”
I don’t know about others, but for me the most difficult thing is to be myself. But why, you may ask? Yeah, that is a good question. I’m still trying to figure that out. Is it because I want too much? Or not enough? All answers I’m still asking myself. I know time is valuable. I know that much, and I spend it wisely. After all, it is the most valuable thing I still possess. Now I’m starting to sound like an old man, lol. Ok, I better start my day and stop talking.