Thursday, August 12, 2010

What would you change?

My husband and I are waiting...and waiting...and waiting! This has been an interesting month thus far. We had planned on leaving for the United Kingdom on August 9th. We've shipped a crate, sold everything else, given away anything we didn't sell or crate, and packed up the rest for the plane. We moved out of our apartment the last day of July thinking we would flying out August 9th. But with other things, our plans are not always God's plans. The Visa process has taken A LOT longer than we had anticipated. But, it's been a good thing too - we've had extra time to spend with friends and family and extra time to really stop and evaluate.
This month also marks our 5 year anniversary - so with all of these changes I've been thinking: "What would I change about the last 5 years of my life?" I really do not have many regrets and I don't want to dwell on failures or should haves, but I do want to evaluate so I live differently in the next 5 years. Does that make sense?
So here's what I came up with:
1. I would have spent more time in the Word

- I would have taken more time to study and know God through His Word. Only through God's Word can I know Him, and only through knowledge of Him can I live more like Him. While I spent time reading, I didn't always dive in and study and make it my heart's desire - the consequences of which are doubting, worry, anxiety, stress, etc.
2. I would have loved my husband better
- This isn't to say I haven't loved him, I just would have demonstrated my love for him in more of my actions. I spent much of our first 5 years of marriage trying to manage all of my expectations of marriage - ones I had placed on me and my husband. When we first got married, I thought it would be relatively simple to love my husband. I soon learned that I am quite a selfish person, and love is more than a feeling but an action. I would have dropped the expectations and sought more each day to show my love for my hubby and focus on the positive.
3. I would have enjoyed the present more than looking back at the past and forward to the future.
- Maybe you don't do this, but I love to think of the past and then I'm anxious for the future. Think about our lives. We long to grow up when we're young (then I hit a spell at 11 where I grieved how grown up I'd become - I realize I'm WEIRD!). Then we're anxious to marry, then anxious to have kids, then anxious for them to grow up - we focus on what's next. At the same time, we long to go back to childhood, or college days, or days without children. I wish I had spent more time enjoying, embracing, and cherishing the present to the fullest instead of being anxious for the future trying to anticipate all that could come up and grieving the loss of the past.

So these are the things I would change if I could go back. It's been a great 5 years, and we have a unique opportunity to begin a new adventure in the UK. So more than what I would change, these are my goals for myself as we move!

How about you? What would you change about the last 5 years and/or how will you live differently in the next 5?

1 comment:

  1. We were delayed 1 month in moving also, and as a result, spent 3 months in a hotel! We also moved just a week or two after our 5 year anniversary. :)

    ReplyDelete