One of the quiet disciplines I’ve been practicing lately is something very simple.
I keep a short list of the next three things I’m looking forward to.
Not ten things.
Not a long bucket list.
Just three.
I keep them in the notes part of my phone. And when I can check one of those three off, I quickly put something else in it’s place, so that I’m always anticipating something. I read my list at least once or twice a week, sometimes more, to remind myself of good things I have coming up. And…sometimes when I’m sitting in the midst of something stressful, it’s not unusual at all for me to open my phone and discreetly take a peek at that list just to remind me that what I’m feeling in that moment won’t always be. Because something good is on the way!
Sometimes they are meaningful moments like a trip, but more often, they’re small things. And they are all life-giving, for me. None of it has anything to do with me having to produce anything. These are blessings I have upcoming, that give me pure joy.
Lunch with a friend.
Starting a book I’ve been wanting to read.
A hobby I’m getting ready to start.
The point isn’t the size of the thing.
The point is that it gives my heart somewhere to move toward.
Yes, I’m moving toward God in prayer. I have found, it’s also helpful to have some tangible things in life to move toward as well. Life inevitably brings seasons that feel heavy. For example, not long ago, I lost several people in my life almost all at once that were extremely important to me. Loss, disappointment, uncertainty, and stress can make it feel as though everything in front of us is difficult or unknown. When that happens, it’s easy to get stuck emotionally in what we’ve just walked through.
But I’ve learned something important over the years.
Moving forward doesn’t always require a major life change. Sometimes it simply requires something ahead of you that brings a spark of anticipation.
That small sense of anticipation can begin to gently shift your perspective. I have found I am a person who really needs anticipation. It helps tremendously in weathering hard spots.
It reminds your heart that life is still unfolding.
It reminds you that joy still exists in small places.
It reminds you that God is still writing the story.
Along with keeping my “next three things” list, I’ve also been intentionally trying new things. Some of it isn’t any kind of a radical shift from what I normally do, but a few things are. With some activities, I am just stepping slightly outside my normal routines, and with others I’m beginning a venture that is a big change. And that also helps to keep my focus on what’s coming — not what is behind me.
For you it might be as simple as trying a different place to eat that you haven’t been to before. Or, it might be saying yes to something that’s really going to stretch you. I believe you will have a feeling for what you need in this season.
New experiences have a way of creating fresh energy in our lives. They wake us up to the fact that the world is still full of possibility, even though we’ve experienced tremendous loss. And sometimes, when life has been difficult, that’s exactly what our hearts need. We need to know, “there’s something up ahead…and it’s good.”
This isn’t about pretending everything is easy. It’s about remembering that forward is still possible.
What are the next three things you’re looking forward to?
Remember…they don’t have to be big. In fact, the smaller they are, the easier it is to see how God sprinkles good things into ordinary days.
I’m not even kidding that some nights I have gone to bed with the thought, “I get to have coffee in the morning!” And in some moments, that thought is enough to keep me going.
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