The Bones of Good Things

It’s a brand New Year, so I’m thinking about resolution. Not resolutions. Resolution. Singular.

My wife used to blog pretty regularly, but life caught up and made that well nigh impossible. She’s very busy with many things. So on the shelf went all kinds of ideas for sharing life with other women on her blog. She couldn’t do them all. Discouraging? Yes. So she decided to do one thing. The Adding Beauty Project. In 2014, she quietly led a small movement of women who were intentional about doing things to add beauty in their family and home lives every week. It wasn’t everything she was capable of. It was one thing. I think it was lovely and mattered. A small thing, yes. I think we need more small things. You can spend all day on Facebook avoiding doing big things. But small? Doable and therefore terrifying. It takes bravery to do small.

Gina is doing it again in 2015. Because it isn’t a waste of time–when you can’t do everything–to do something.

Everyone is talking about productivity, about what good things we’re going to start to do, or do more of, and what bad things we’re going to stop doing, or do less. That’s fine. Good. But I’ve found that the path to getting worthwhile things done is littered with the bones of Good Things. I mean that I have to stop doing some things that I want to do, things that are good, in order to be free to do what is better, or best. In fact, maybe just cut out better. Let’s just do our best.

If you’re like me, you have multiple vocations and multiple passions. Some are close to the heart and are the first provence of your stewardship. Like family. You may also have a job that helps you take care of your family, even if it’s not your passion. Then there’s all those things vying for your time, and you like to spray yourself on real thin over the whole pile. You like to have about ten dishes in various stages of cookery at once, but are careful to avoid completing any of them.

Stop it.

Just make one thing. One small thing.

If you’re like me, part of that multi-pronged attack is about fear, about fear of actually finishing something, shipping something, sharing something, and so the absence of focus means an absence of consequences. You can’t fail at a game you’re watching from the sidelines. But that’s a crummy way to live.

Just do something.

Fear will knock you down. Guilt will pin you there.

But there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If you are a child of God, you can create without condemnation. You are actually free.

For real.

So my simple, unoriginal suggestion for you this year? Stop trying to do so many good things that what actually gets done is nothing.

And do something. It may as well be the best thing you can do right now.

Even if it’s small.

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S. D. Smith

S. D. Smith is the award-losing author of The Green Ember Series. Sam loves chocolate chip cookies, soccer, and knights who kill dragons.

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