A Word of Encouragement...

This weekend I attended my husband's 40th class reunion! What a bunch of old people!!

I really enjoyed myself as I went from person to person, not having any obligation to know them or remember them as 'they used to be.' I could freely ask them questions and observe how they interacted with their old classmates. I was pleased by how many of them had been married over 30 years, so I began asking different people what they were most surprised at from this reunion. All of them said they couldn't believe it had been 40 years since they had seen one another and of course how fast life has gone by. In chatting with them, the word 'consistent' kept coming up. Well, actually some said "I've just spent the last 40 years doing the same thing." Some said it out of frustration but most said it with a note of achievement. Like they just kept putting one foot in front of the other and here they were, 40 years later with 4, 5 or 6 kids...many were teachers, an actor, architect, doctors and many entrepreneurs. I had no expectation from any of these people, because I didn't know any of them, but I felt like by the end of the day, I would say that many of them had achieved a level of satisfaction and success because they had been consistent.
It may not be the word you were expecting me to encourage you with today, but it is a word of great impact. If you applied it to your life right now, it should give you more of a purpose. All the tasks you are doing over and over again for your little toddlers are not in vain. You are teaching and modeling for them. Be consistent in your kind words, your soft voice, your constant smile and your enthusiasm for life. Be consistent in your personal habits. Be consistent in your desire to build a strong marriage. Be consistent in knowing God. Be consistent even when it gets tough. Your next reunion is going to come around soon enough. Be consistent in your living and you will find yourself telling your classmates "I've spent the last few years doing the same thing...and I can't believe how far I've come."