Things I Don’t Do

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 3:13–14

The second list—the things I don’t do—is the more important list. What am I willing to not do in order to do the things I believe in?

I don’t garden or do major home improvement projects or scour flea markets for the perfect home accessories. No expectation for perfect housekeeping either. I don’t make our bed. I don’t scrapbook or make photo albums, although I take a lot of pictures of my kids. I only blow-dry my hair on special occasions, and I don’t paint my fingernails.

I don’t spend time with people who routinely make me feel like less than I am, or who talk mostly about other people’s money or what’s wrong with everyone else.

This list sets me free. Time is finite, as is energy. One day I’ll stand before God and account for what I did with my life. There is work that is only mine to do: children that are ours to raise, stories that are mine to tell, friends that are mine to walk with.