Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing Daysਨਮੂਨਾ

What’s in your treasure chest?

My dinghy days taught me that our treasure is found in people. We can be so busy that we neglect and undervalue our true treasure. In my dinghy, I developed a greater appreciation for friends, family, and particularly for my husband. Dinghydom was a time to rediscover the treasure of my man. To be honest, this didn’t look like a Hallmark film style of treasuring each other. It wasn’t hearts, flowers, champagne, and sickly-sweet compliments. We both needed to deal with some tough stuff during the dinghy days, with significant challenges that both of us were facing. We got through it together and reaffirmed our love and commitment to each other, facing these dinghy difficulties side by side.

We reached out for support from trusted people as we really needed it. And we also binge-watched a few box sets together too (yes, you can access streaming services from some dinghies - thank the Lord!) Our relationship with our significant others can be a source of real treasure. But these relationships require time, energy, prayer, commitment, a lot of grace, and often some professional counselling too. I’m pleased that I had time to rediscover the treasure in my husband and to navigate that weird, slow season together. We seriously sought God together for our future, and it felt like there was real strength in that. I treasured our relationship and our strong desire to seek God and follow his plan for our family.

Dinghy days give us time for deeper contemplation and the opportunity to feel and show gratitude for the treasury of people God has placed in our lives.

I also learnt to treasure the little blessings in life in a new way – taking slow and deliberate enjoyment in a hot cup of tea, a homemade meal, time to learn a new recipe, a catch-up on Zoom, or a walk in the fresh air with a friend. I enjoyed these things prior to the dinghy days (other than Zoom calls, I’m never happy with how many of my chins join meetings with me!), but I genuinely appreciate them a hundred times more now than I did before. The people in our lives and the many mini blessings we experience each day really do matter, and we truly should treasure them.

Reflection

Do a treasure inventory - list all of the people and all of the small blessings you are grateful to God for today.

What mini blessing can you take conscious enjoyment in today?

How many of your chins turn up on Zoom meetings?!