Here's a teaser from Chapter Five in "Christ Walk."
Biblical Big
Idea #5: “Your Journey has the Lord’s
approval.” Judges 18:6
Steps
Taken:_________________
Miles
Journeyed: ______________
Exercise
Chosen: ______________
Spiritual
Thoughts: _____________
Feelings:
_____________________
Why are we
here? God created us with a
purpose. We have a journey to take on
our time here on earth. We are not here
for ourselves. I believe that many have
great dissatisfaction because they are so focused on themselves and their
needs. We took the concept of “me time,”
which is not necessarily a bad thing, but turned it into a “me all the
time.” If there was one book I would
recommend on our Purpose, I would recommend “A Purpose Driven Life” by Rick
Warren. He has a wonderful message about
our time on earth being not about us. It
was an amazing relief to hear that. I
felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders when I read, “It’s not
about you.”
If it’s not
about me, then, we were created with purpose to do for others. If you let go of the burden of what society,
government, politics, movies, magazines, and others try to tell you is your
purpose and rather focus on what you feel called to do for your family,
friends, church, and community, then I think you will find the burden lifted
from your shoulders. There is such great
joy in letting go of the self and doing for others. As I discussed in the previous chapter, my
journey for health frustrated me until I included others in my goal and made my
running about doing for others, not just for myself. We are all called to do different things and
THAT is what keeps the world ticking when we are doing our calling in the glory
of God. “As a prisoner for the Lord,
then, I urge you to life a life worth of the calling you have received.” Ephesians
4-1.
Here is a
little exercise for you. Get a piece of
paper. I like a 3x5 card because I can
fold it in my wallet. Think about
something you either want to change about yourself or something you’ve always
wanted to do but have been afraid to do it.
Write it on one side of your card.
On the other side, write the three most important things in your
life. For me, the three most important
things are God, my family, and my health.
These may be yours as well. Many
people have God and family in the top three; sometimes a job is also considered
important. When you look back at what
you change about yourself, is it reflected in the three most important things
in your life?
For example,
if you need to quit smoking and you cannot find the strength to do it, consider
that smoking does not support the OTHER things in your life: it may take time away from your devotion to
God; it is an addiction (one that costs money and has great impacts for you,
your family and the environment). If you
are addicted to tobacco, food, drink, drugs, whatever it may be, then you have
given so much of your vital energy to an inanimate thing that takes you away
from your time with God. God would
rather you be addicted to him than a vice.
And he can give you the power to overcome that vice. Consider your family. Tobacco, or whatever
other bad habit you may want to address, has physical ramifications for your
family. Children of smokers have
multiple health problems; these habits cost a great deal of money that could be
a burden on your family; the toxins are damaging to your home and your family
would be utterly lost without you if you were to die from your habit. Needless to say, if health was one of your
most important priorities, tobacco use or ANY other addiction is bad for your
health. I hope that goes without saying.
I also hope
that you see this exercise as a positive reinforcement for WHY you can change
your life. You have three important
things to lift you up and take on any challenge or goal that you may have. I used this exercise in helping me to get
going with this book. I knew I needed to
write this book, but it was much harder than I ever thought it could be. I knew also that writing this book supported
the three most important things in my life.
I also hope
that you see that the three most important things in your life are an important
part of your journey. Your journey here
on earth was ordained by God. I do not
believe that we live a meaningless existence here at the whim of a petulant
God. I believe that God reveals himself
to all of us at different points in our lives and in different ways.
Thoughts to Ponder:
1.
Is there something I want to change about myself or
work towards?
2.
What are the three most important things in my life?
3.
What are three things that are keeping me from being
successful with my goal?
4.
What can I do to overcome them?
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