Now That's Refreshing!

All you could say was Wow! Watching the new champion of women’s tennis, Kim Clijsters, holding the trophy in one hand and her curly haired 18 month old daughter in the other. What a great story.

After taking nearly 2 years off from her career, becoming a mother, and caring for her father who was dying from lung cancer, she has returned to professional tennis stronger and faster than when she left. She says she now has a mental edge on all her opponents. Having a family has given her a sense of peace and purpose that tennis could never give. Even granting network interviews on Monday morning with only 2 hours of sleep was no problem. “Moms everywhere know what that’s like,” she laughs.

Sunday night, she’s the new champion. Monday morning she’s cutting vegetables, packing luggage, fixing lunch and planning her daughter Jada's nap time. “Playing tennis is what I do. Jada’s mom and Brian’s wife is who I am. And I’m very happy with the new me.”

How happy are you? Let me phrase that question another way: how much do you enjoy living your life? Please understand that I am not talking about changing your life. (At least not in this article). I am also not talking about those moments when we feel the feeling of happiness when we are spending time with good friends, or enjoying an evening out with your husband or wife. Those moments are indeed enjoyable and we can very easily increase the number of those moments in our lives by setting aside time and creating an atmosphere where they can happen.

I’m talking about taking greater enjoyment in the life that you currently have right now - the ability to truly appreciate and be truly aware of all the good things that exist in your life.

In order to train yourself to enjoy your life, you need to get into the habit of gratitude. When was the last time you counted your blessings? I mean literally sat down and made a list of all the things you’re grateful for? Five times in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon reminds us that even the ability to “eat, drink and find satisfaction in what you do” is a gift from God.

A second great habit to develop is to try to catch other people doing things right. Lifting yourself up by putting others down is never a rewarding endeavor. A spirit of criticism and debate won’t add even an ounce of joy to your life. On the other hand, a spirit of encouragement and praise will somehow magically find a way to fill your cup as well. Look for excuses to applaud the good you see in others.

“he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

(Proverbs 11:25)