If you remember the 1980s, chances are you remember cassette tape players.
As a teenager, my first car was a Datsun B210 with no radio but an awesome cassette player. Homemade mix-tapes of Casey Kasem's Top 40 were the only music I had. Somehow hearing that same music over and over again never got old. Upon every listen, I always believed the words had hopeful messages just for me.
In some ways, I still believe that's true. Our daily lives give us our own soundtrack of words, and inspirations if we take the time to notice. Recently, here are a few thoughts I overheard during my daily comings and goings. Even though these words weren't for me personally, like those mix tape songs, maybe they were.
"You stop being a stranger to yourself when you start honoring who you are and what God has called you to be."
"I know I can solve this, it's just a matter of time. I'm going to figure it out because I know I can."
"You showed up, now show up."
Occasionally inspirational thoughts can come out of nowhere. Like gyms. I was in my gym restroom and found myself overwhelmed by the words of encouragement, celebrations, and hope left on the walls by the hundreds of women who work out there. Seeing all their words of cheering one another on reminded me we are all trying hard to take care of ourselves. Each of us shows up every day to care for our bodies and ultimately our hearts. It felt good to know we all struggle. But it also felt good to know others were with me, cheering me on too.
The truth is, when we stop to really listen to the soundtrack of our lives, inspirations and encouragements are everywhere. It's in our work conversations, it's in our coffee with friends, it's in the gyms where we work out and it's in the words we share over dinners with the people we love. When we can wake up to hear, deeply hear, the goodness that is around us, we can't help but find the lovely rhythm of who God longs for us to be.
What About You?
What does the soundtrack of your life sound like? Where do you need to tune in and listen for the goodness? Where do you need to change the channel of your own negative self-talk? The encouraging, joyful, fun mix tape of the best version of you is available, you just need to press play to hear it.
When we tune in to find encouragement in our midst,
we discover the soundtrack of our best selves.