What are the things that I value in life? I was prompted to ask myself this question by one of Janine Ripper’s 23 Insightful Journal Prompts for Self-Reflection.

There are many things that I value, many attributes that are at the core of who I am and who I want to be. But I have listed 5 of my most important values below. I hope that they can be an encouragement to you, and also a reminder to me of those things that truly matter to me in my life.

1. Faith. I want to love and trust God with all of my heart. I feel like sometimes I do that, and other times I do not. I can let things get in between us – like excessive sleep, a worry that I obsess over, or not being obedient to something the Lord wants me to do. But overall I think I’m trying my best, and I know God sees that. He is gracious, and He will give me the strength to continue to walk with Him through the difficult (and the enjoyable) times.
2. Empathy (this encompasses love and compassion). I feel that it is very important to try to understand what other people are going through. Sometimes they may be going through a situation that I have never experienced before – and that is difficult because it’s hard to put myself “in their shoes.” But I can listen, and I can be a support to them in their trial. Other times people may be going through a situation that I have also experienced (such as depression or anxiety). That is when I can share with them my sorrows and my joys and all that God is teaching me through them.
3. Grace. This one I struggle with. I have a hard time being gracious with myself when I mess up (that is my perfectionism rearing it’s ugly head). Because of that, I also have a difficult time being gracious with other people when I feel that they have made a mistake. But here my first value (faith) can help, because I need to remind myself that God is forgiving and gracious towards me, and also rely on Him for the strength to be gracious towards those around me. I know that I can do this with His help!
4. Honesty. It’s important to me to be honest with myself and with others about who I really am. I find it freeing to share the things that I struggle with and to be open about my flaws. Often this is an encouragement to others to open up about their own shortcomings. By being honest, I can develop strong relationships and have more of an impact on the people around me.
5. Gratitude (includes positivity). This is something that had been lacking in my life for a while. I was always focused on the negative – always lingering on the less-than-perfect events that occurred. But recently God has been showing me how to find good in the bad…how to be thankful for the little things. It doesn’t come easily to me, but I know that the Lord will continue to help me grow into a person who has a positive perspective in life.

So what did you think of the values I listed? What are 5 of the things that YOU value most?