I didn’t want to do it.

It had been on my calendar awhile and as it got closer, I wanted to be part of it less and less. You know what that’s like, don’t you?

We only have so many open spaces on our calendar and when there is something on there that we don’t want to do, it can get really annoying.

The plan was to take some leaders for a retreat to the Gaylord Texan, in Grapevine. Thing is, it was an especially busy season. So, this started to feel like just another thing on the calendar that I HAD TO do. 

I think it was just a couple days before the retreat, a thought popped in my head that I didn’t really see coming.

The thought – “Remember, you actually love these people.” The thought struck me enough that I actually paused and started to think about it.

As I imagined the faces of the people who would be going, I just knew we’d be laughing hard together. Because of the nature of what this meeting was about, we were going to have rich, meaningful and impactful conversations. There would be insights and there would be breakthroughs. We would share some great stories and create a few new ones as well.

As these thoughts went through my head, I started to look forward to it. This, to me, was a bit strange? Here was something that I was going to really enjoy doing but I was annoyed at the thought of doing it. Somewhere, somehow, the right perspective was getting lost. 

My friend, if you are like most people and if you are like me, this is happening to you.

Now listen for a second and I’ll prove it. I am going to mention some things that should be looked forward to. But, under certain circumstances, the idea of doing some of these will frustrate us. That, or we’ll want to put them off because we do not feel we have time. Here you go…

Playing catch with our kids. Making a phone call to our parent or grandparent. Hangin’ with friends. Going on a walk. Taking a day off. Being present at our kids game or competition. Going on vacation. Spending time with someone we love. 

Can I be frank? What’s the matter with us?

Now maybe this is not you but for most of us, this stings. Why in the world, do we lose sight of what is most important? Thing is, it’s not hard to come up with reasons so I’ll not take time to do that.

I will say this though – let’s not miss out on life as we live it. There’s too much at stake and we have to solve this problem for ourselves. The good news is, we can start now. 

So, right now, who are one to three people who you should do something with but the thought of it has turned into something you don’t want to make time for?

I want you to remember a few things: Remember, life is short. Remember, that you can only do these things until you can’t. Remember, my friend, remember – you actually love these people.

By Ray Miranda