It’s Easy to Live Your Values When Life Is Easy

But what happens when life doesn’t cooperate?

This verse really lands for me.

How easy it is to be the person we want to be when everything is going pretty well.

It’s easier to be patient when we’re rested.

Easier to be present when our phones aren’t buzzing.

Easier to make time for God when our schedules aren’t overflowing.

Easier to be kind when nobody’s getting on our nerves.

But then life happens.

A meeting runs long. Someone needs something. The car breaks down. Work gets stressful. We’re tired. We’re frustrated. Something we were counting on falls through.

And suddenly, all those things we say matter most get a little harder to live out.

I know I’ve been there.

When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan

James 1:12 talks about remaining steadfast when life tests us.

And while I know James is talking about much more than a frustrating Tuesday, it got me thinking.

Who am I when things aren’t going my way?

Am I still patient?

Am I still present?

Do I make room for God?

Do the people I love get the best of me, or just what’s left of me?

Those are some uncomfortable questions.

Especially because typically I have pretty good intentions. I’d venture to guess most of us do.

We want to be good spouses. Good parents. Good friends. Good leaders.

We want to be healthy. We want to grow in our faith. We want to do meaningful work.

But wanting those things and actually making room for them in our lives can be two very different things.

The Story We Tell Ourselves

I’ve spent most of my adult life working with data.

And I’ve learned something interesting.

There’s often a difference between what we think is happening and what’s actually happening.

In business, data helps us see that difference.

Then I started wondering how often that same thing happens in our personal lives.

I can tell you what matters most to me.

My faith. My family. My health. My relationships.

But if I could look back at how I actually spent the last thirty days, would my choices tell the same story?

Especially on the days when life was difficult?

That’s part of the thinking behind Today Matters and why we’re building Ankor.

Not to tell people how to live.

Not to make anyone feel guilty about how they spend their time.

But to help us see the patterns we might otherwise miss.

We don’t need someone to tell us what matters.

We need a little help recognizing whether we’re making room for it each day.

Maybe It’s Not About Getting It Right Every Time

Here’s what I appreciate about this verse, James 1:12.

We aren’t promised an easy life.

And this verse reminds us that staying faithful through the hard parts matters.

I find that encouraging.

Because I don’t always get it right.

Some days I’m more distracted than I want to be.

Some days I’m not as patient as I should be.

Too often the urgent things get more of my attention than the important ones.

But I don’t have to let one difficult day become the pattern for the next thirty.

I can recognize it.

I can make an adjustment.

I can choose differently.

And I can ask God to help me do better tomorrow.

Or even with the next conversation I have today.

Something to Think About

So here’s what I’m asking myself today:

When life gets busy, stressful, or uncomfortable, what are the first things I tend to let go of?

And are those the very things I say matter most?

Maybe that’s worth paying attention to.

Because the life we’re building isn’t just shaped by the easy days.

It’s shaped by how we show up on the hard ones, too.

And we get another opportunity to choose how we show up.

Today.

Because Today Matters.

Ankor. Because Today Matters.