Birthdays are usually good for reflection. I started thinking about my life and the direction it's headed. You think about how you've used your time and if you made the most of every opportunity. You know what, I haven't. I'm sure there are plenty of things I coulda/shoulda/woulda done that I just failed to do. Now, instead of focusing on all the things I missed and messed up on, I must think of those things that will keep me focused and motivated.

Negative thoughts like this only depress us and keep us from experiencing God's best. It hinders us from taking advantage of the day and making the most of it. It starts by thinking about the things God desires us to do.

See, when we're thinking about what we haven't done, we can get in 'hasty nervous' mode. We think that if we're moving, we're doing something right...RIGHT?!

Proverbs 19:2 (KJV) - Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

You may have the desire to do 'right,' but you can go about it wrong. The key in these situations is to be patient and calm. The only thing you should consider is if you are doing God's will today. This simple question allowed me to settle my anxious spirit and remain patient and calm. It keeps me balanced and focused on God's direction...and not my trying to make take my own.

There are a lot of things we coulda/shoulda/woulda done, but what does God want you to do today? There may be a relationship that needs mending; an assignment that was never accomplished; or something still left undone. Instead of getting depressed and down, ask God to help you re-establish these things. Allow Him to make crooked paths straight; repair broken bridges; and to get you on the road to His will.