10 Things I Learned in 2011
Here are 10 things I learned in 2011 and wanted to share with all of you . . .
- God loves us extravagantly in our humanity. He knows our weaknesses, our struggles, our temptations. And He loves us as we are. We can’t improve and cause Him to love us more.
- We need to develop a coherent narrative of our life story, so that it makes sense to us. Only when we’ve made sense of our lives can we help others make sense of theirs.
- There are questions you should not answer, because of who’s asking, when they’re asking, where they’re asking, and why they’re asking.
- Ministries for profit, or commercial ministries almost never work. The conflict between the sharp-edged requirements of profitability and the ethereal nature of ministry leads to failure in both, and this failure is primarily because of leadership.
- The day of your death was the last day you were supposed to live. Said another way, you have the opportunity to live every day of your life. Death is a certainty (the mortality rate continues to hover around 100%). But when you die is uncertain. It is almost totally in God’s hands. You can take perfect care of yourself and die in an instant when your bike is hit by a car. Or you can neglect yourself and collapse at 62 in front of your wife and friends. You cannot add to the number of your days. But you can make them count.
- We have convoluted Christianity until it is unrecognizable to its original form. On a personal level, we’ve made it about what you do vs. an intimate relationship with God and who you are in Him. And on a societal level, God has put all the resources into the world needed to alleviate hunger and disease. We’ve made the rituals of church attendance and personal growth ahead of Jesus’ directive to care for the physical needs of the poor.
- Contentment may be the greatest worship of all. That one can pause, be grateful, be ‘in the moment’ with no past reflection, nor future anticipation. Just be present with Him, in Him.
- True friendships with other men take time and effort; they don’t come easy or naturally. Men have different kinds of friends, and that’s ok But to have any male friends, you’ll have to initiate, and more than once.
- We can’t apply Christian rules and mores’ to non-Christians. Without Christ as their ‘lens’ and their conscience, they will not salute our values, our opinions or our decisions. “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” C.S. Lewis
- God answers essay questions, not multiple choice.
Question: Will you take time to reflect on what you learned this year? Will you write it down and post it here so we can all learn from you?
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Responses (3)
Great lessons! I’ve had a couple that could be added to the list which bubbled to the top for me:
1. Somebody, somewhere is waiting to hear God’s message of grace through you, and if you’re not sensitive to that leading or courageous enough to follow through, they may never hear it from another source.
2. We are forgiven people – by a Savior who required perfection of Himself. We must forgive, unconditionally, to experience a true Christian life and to exhibit to others that we value the forgiveness granted to us.
3. No amount of personal planning and preparation can overcome what God has in store for each of us. Roll with His plan at the expense of yours, and you will experience the exhilaration of knowing you are in the right place…even when it stings a bit.
4. Our goal cannot be to create a life that is easier and more comfortable. Too much ease and comfort breeds spiritual complacency. Get comfortable with today’s discomfort and then move the the next uncomfortable challenge that God directs you to. He once said “It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle” for a reason.
5. Appreciation and worship of God should be our primary objective and guiding light each day. To marginalize or partition that objective means there are other things that you really consider more important. Remember that you will never look back on your life and say “glad I put God on the back burner to handle that issue/opportunity.” Seek to involve God in every moment of your existence.
Anxious to see your list too!
i ll get back with you on my list but i really enjoyed reading your list.
[…] You can also read the things Regi learned last year. […]