It’s a question that comes up regularly in a nonprofit coaching group I’m a part of. Kimberly, our leader and guide, asks it, then listens intently as each coach shares their response.
So, in 2025, what would be the most common answer? How would you reply?
A catalog of familiar words comes to mind…
Busy.
Overwhelmed.
Confused.
Polarized.
Sandwiched.
Over-extended.
Distracted.
Worried.
Discouraged.
Of course, there are times when “checking in” sparks sincere gratitude, hope, and optimism. But let’s be honest — we also face the realities of the list above. These are challenging times.
That’s why, during a recent meeting with Kimberly, when she quoted Mary Oliver, the renowned U.S. poet, I was struck by the simplicity and power of the words she shared:
“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
(Written as the 4th stanza of a poem called Sometimes.)
I don’t know where Mary Oliver stood in relation to faith, but the words she penned certainly amplify the pattern of living that Jesus modeled and continues to mentor us in.
In ways that I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit, my own “Instructions for living a life” would likely revolve around…
Critique.
Condemn.
Post about it.
Perhaps more accurately, these aren’t instructions for living a life, but more like a survival strategy — a means of existing, or belonging to a particular group.
By contrast, Mary Oliver got it right.
Pay attention.
To little things. To hidden things. To quiet things. To invisible things. To subtle disruptions. To the easily overlooked.
Be astonished.
Childlike wonder. Adventurous discovery. Cosmic majesty. Microscopic detail. Celestial order. Authentic, expanding community.
Tell about it.
The truth. Unembellished reality. Stories. Vulnerability. Humility. Gratitude. Lament. Brokenness. Grace. Forgiveness. Trust.
Nearly
every temptation in my life runs counter to these three instructions. Often
unintentionally, but always with a similar outcome. In fact, our adversary has
his own list of intentions for us:
To steal.
To kill.
To destroy.
Sobering, but true.
Like any noble endeavor, this shift will require commitment, practice,
discipline, and resilience. It may demand that we relearn how to transform each
moment of the day into an opportunity for discovery. It may require demoting
self-promotion. And it will undoubtedly call for levels of humility and courage
that can feel uncomfortable. But without this shift, we will never truly live.
Jesus calls it “life to the full.” Abundant living.
This is why Jesus came — to rescue, redeem, liberate, and ignite.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Who better to live this out than followers of the King?
“How are you checking in
today?”
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