Just a few weeks before we got married, my husband and I adopted a golden retriever puppy. We named him Sparky, and I can say with full confidence that he has lived up to his name because there is never a dull moment when he’s around.

What is your strategy when it comes to growing in your relationship with Jesus? In other words, do you have a plan for how you’re going to prioritize spending time with Jesus and growing closer to Him? One thing I’ve learned over the years is that if you’re going to be successful at something, you’ve got to have a game plan. You can’t just go through life winging it. You’ve got to be intentional and purposeful. Otherwise, you’re not going to be prepared when life throws you something out of left field.

I have a love-hate relationship with assembling furniture. It always takes longer than you think it will. The instructions always seem to have 800 steps. And I get irritated enough to start lecturing the furniture at least once per piece. But I love the feeling when I finish putting it together and get to experience the finished product in all its glory. Knowing all of this, I tried to mentally prepare myself to assemble my new bookcases, but when the time came to put them together, it ended up being a much more frustrating afternoon than I expected.

What’s your first instinct when you look at yourself in the mirror? Do you admire what you see, making a point to notice all of the things you like about your appearance? Or do you criticize yourself, pick yourself apart, and think about all of the things you would change about yourself if you could?