The Weekly Rhythm: I screwed up this week

Welcome to the Weekly Rhythm!

It was only two weeks ago I felt like giving up. How did I find myself standing on the precipice so soon?

I’ll tell you. I screwed up this week

There’s no excuses. I dropped the ball. The hardest part about it was that in the moment I acted in a way I claimed I wouldn’t. I didn’t live up to my own standard. The negative self talk came in like a flood and caught me by surprise.

Why the sob story? Because it’s valuable. If I were the first person to screw up a meeting, miss an opportunity, or let myself or someone else down that really would be a story. It’d make headline news. “First man in the world to screw up!”

You know as well as I do that it’s not news. In fact, it’s not news because its universal that most people know by experience but few talk about. This is a bump in the road. This is getting turned around in the woods. When we fail in ways that are humiliating, there can be grace in it. It’s a moment off the wild ride and a chance to get reoriented. Time to take a breath, backtrack to the last place I recognize and then move forward.

I could keep this to myself or I could share it, tell you it’s not news, you’re not alone, and let’s get up and keep moving. What does the next step look like? I’m not exactly sure but I can tell you this: it will look like a pile of nothing if I don’t get back up. This is true for you too.

My wife is also here reminding me of the hand of God. Yes, I am responsible for this but also I can’t discount that God may have used my own irresponsibility in His great and overall plan. His work is redemptive and brings His glory and our good out of sin and stupidity. You better believe I’m going to look at the details closer next time.

For you to think about this week:

1. What have you been trying to establish in your own home and family that you haven’t seen the progress you’d like?

For you to act on this week:

1. Don’t give up on your lack of progress. It doesn’t have to all come together. Take one element of that vision and work towards building it.

Whatever you’ve got going on, whatever comes your way whether its circumstantial or self-inflicted, keep moving. Keep working and keep going forward. Keep hoping. It’s part of your story now. Don’t let it go to waste.

Last week I teased that I’d be working on a Top 10 list of the best board games for families.

I spent 4 hours working on this curated list and it was viewed over 9,000 times. Check it out and tell me if you have any favorites that didn’t make the list. If you want to help out, like and share the post.

Talk to you soon!

~ J.P.

Book Update: I’ve been editing and I have 3 editors lined up to provide feedback once its ready. There’s some fiction work bubbling in my mind. It’s important to stay on track so I can get all of these books to you.