A perfect life isn’t built by planning, scheming, and orchestrating it into what we think it should be. A perfect life is discovered.
And the discovery transpires through our perfect days.
Several years ago, I stumbled upon a quote during our vacation to Duck that made me sit up and take notice:
“Perfect days can give clues to a perfect life.” ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
We all have those days when we wish they would last just a little bit longer. We feel a sense of eternity in our hearts, a sense of joy clings to our spirits. On days like this, life feels complete.
No, not perfect in the first definition of the word:
“as good as it is possible to be,”
but “perfect” in the sense of the second definition of the word:
“absolute, complete, used for emphasis.
Life can be complete.
We just returned from our annual beach trip, this time to Kiawah Island, and we found ourselves delighting in the unexpected —the two baby fawns right outside our villa picture window, the lightening riding in on the storm across the ocean, the laughter we shared playing Mega Monopoly.
Those feelings and experiences live in our lives as clues, and on days like this, we should gather those clues and carry them in our pocket. We should write them down in a journal and speak of them with our spouses, and listen for the voice of God in them.
Chances are, you may be getting ready to take your own vacation this summer. Or, maybe you find yourself wishing this day would last just a little bit long. Sit up and take notice of what makes the day seem perfect. These can be clues for constructing the perfect life.
The clues you discover can inspire you to create a life of perfect days— magical, joyful, and beautiful.
Every family is unique and different, but we are also similar in more ways than we think.I wanted to share one clue our family discovered on our vacation years ago. We noticed that when we are on vacation, we always
Say “Yes” Way More Than We Say “No”.
Whenever the girls would ask Tim for something, his common response was, “Yes. The answer is always ‘yes’ because we are on vacation.”
After awhile, we started to laugh about it. The pixies caught on quickly, and started to shoot for the moon in their requests.
Is life not a bit more complete when we find ourselves saying “Yes” more often than “No”?
Yes, I know that for many of us, “No” is a word we need to learn because of our overcommitments. But I am not talking about learning to say “No” in response to breaking out of the people-pleasing mold. I am referring to the joy of saying “Yes” to adventure, life, God.
Because, after all, isn’t this what He says to us,
“Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus ... God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20-22, MSG)
Yes gives a feeling of lightness and freedom. The days feel lighter, the tasks sweeter. We get the sense that things are only going to get better.
So I dare you this week to say “Yes” more than you hear yourself saying “No”— to God, your spouse, your kids. You might find yourself laughing when you least expect it.
Your “yes” I hope will inspire you on your journey to discovering a perfect life.
I’ve been doing the Summer Slowdown challenge my husband, Tim Willard, created and love it! It’s my favorite new thing. It’s inspiring me to say “Yes” and to slow down and drink in the perfect days.
That's lovely, thanks! I like the preceding verse as well (David Bentley Hart translation):
For the Son of God, Jesus the Anointed, who was proclaimed among you by us - by me and Silvanus and Timothy - did not become a "Yes" and also a "No"; rather, in him came "Yes."
A will make a conscious effort to say "yes" more often than "no." And see what happens. Should be interesting!