A Full Life

In "Workout Your Faith" I have talked a lot about motivation and planning.  Today I want to make an attempt at linking the desires we have to be more fit in all aspects of our lives with our spiritual hearts.

The photo in today's piece was taken this past Friday night at the Relay for Life event in my hometown and includes two members of my church family who have survived cancer, and my daughter.  This couple lives today with joy and the most indomitable spirit I have likely ever seen.  Mr. Bill always has a laugh and a witty word for anyone that comes around.  Miss Glenda fights on with the gentleness and kindness of a southern debutante who has the inner warrior mentality to take on cancer and its multiple recurrences.  These two symbolize why my family chooses to Relay.

We all make choices and they put us into the places we are right now.  Yes I understand that there are things that are thrust upon us that we may not have desired or asked for, but the true measure of our character is how we respond.  That response will inevitably be more appropriate, though not always perfect, when we are prepared.  Preparation for the situations we are put into comes in many forms but ultimately comes down to a few simple things; faith, relationships, fitness and the study of others.

Faith as my writings would indicate is the cornerstone for all things.  Without my faith I would not only be lost in the spiritual sense, but lost on my life journey as well.  Faith grounds us and gives us a stability to know that God is with us and that we can face anything with Him.  

 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.    Philippians 4:12-13 NKJV from www.biblegateway.com

In the Christian belief this is joy.  We often want to think of joy in the same way as we think of happiness, but true joy is so much more.  It is summed up so well by the Apostle Paul in this verse.  Christian joy is what is characterized by Mr. Bill and Miss Glenda and the way they share that joy with others.  Are you taking care of your faith today?  It is the pathway to joy.

Relationships also play a huge role in how we respond to adversity.  It is far more difficult to face the troubles of this world when we walk alone.  God has instituted both marriage and His church as vehicles to form relationships that are sustaining and fruitful.  In the book of Genesis God created Eve as the help mate for Adam, and in the New Testament we are instructed to bear one another's burdens.  Today you may be floating along pretty much going it alone, but when darker more challenging times arise you will need to be connected to others.  Always be working on mutually beneficial relationships that will multiply your joy and gives you refuge in the storm.

Fitness is also vital to help us through the difficulties we face.  First if we have made fitness a priority it dramatically lowers our risk for many of the most common and debilitating diseases.  Note that I said lowers the risk, it does not provide complete immunity.  However, if we are faced with a disease or are injured in some way our ability to withstand it and to begin the fight are greatly enhanced if we have the physical strength of a fit body.  Another key in this is that fitness is mental, to gain or remain fit requires mental discipline.  When difficulties beset us then it is this sort of mental discipline that will be of tremendous importance in carrying out the treatment plans and enduring the various trials along the path to restoration.

The final area is the study of others which may sound odd at first blush.  It is important to see how others who have gone before us have dealt with adversity, and with prosperity or abundance.  This gives us clues as to how to respond in any situation.  The Bible is a wonderful beginning point to show us the patience of Job, the ups and downs of David "a man after God's own heart", the quest for wisdom of Solomon, or the steadfast spirit of the Apostle Paul just to name a few.  The Bible is not the only place we can find these character studies, there are thousands upon thousands of books available at your local library, bookstore, or online marketplace that can give us great insight as well.

Reaching back up into the words above, building relationships and watching those around you is also a great way to learn.

It is my hope that you will take a look at these areas of your life and build them up so that you can move forward, and DO WELL!

Where Are You Going

Earlier this year while returning home from a youth event in Conway, AR, my wife, Angie, snapped this shot of our church bus headed home.  As with most trips there is a great excitement and energy in the going, but it also ends with the quiet comfort of returning home.

In our lives we have many parts to the journey we are living.  There is faith, family, fitness/health, finance . . .  Many will say that we must keep a balance among these and other areas of our busy lives.  Over the past couple of years my thinking has changed on this.  I used to also believe in balancing, but have come to believe rather in integration.

When we seek balance we are actually living in dis-integration, separating our lives into distinct boxes of unrelated thought.  However if we strive for integration we recognize that we have one life, and that it all works best when it is all working together.  As Christians this is summed up very succinctly in Romans 8:28 (NASB) "and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  This screams out to me that integration is better than balance.

The life of integration then must center on God and be built upon His Word, and His will for our lives.  Everything else must then be structured around that faith.  We then can ask the question, how does this part of my life impact my relationship with God?  Each thing we do has an impact on every other part of our life as they are interdependent, thus integrated, and cannot effectively be fully separated.  Be it our finances, our health, or any other aspect of life.  In the end Solomon tells us in the final two verses of Ecclesiastes, "The conclusion when all has been heard is, fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden whether it is good or evil." (NASB)

This week look into your life and ask yourself, am I living an integrated or disintegrated life?  I pray that you are or will be living in an integrated way.  It is the basis to Do Well, and truly "head home".

Future Vision

How would life differ if we no longer had our sight, the vision to see what is before us as we move across a room, read a book, or drive our cars?  I dare say it would be considerably more difficult. Vision also has a much broader application, that of seeing ourselves or others in a future state.  It is my belief that many of us have a much more clouded vision when we take it in this direction.  Why do we have difficulty seeing through the clouds of the future?

I would assert that there are likely many reasons for this, but primarily it stems from a narrow perspective.  As we age our field of vision narrows and this accelerates at certain points or as a result of an acquired condition.  The same holds true for our broader vision.  Rather than looking forward broadly seeing the possibilities and the potential for a very rewarding future we get bogged down with the acquired conditions of our past history.  Yes, these form who we are, and much of this history can be a positive to build upon, but when we continue to look too intently behind us at the the problems of our past, our future vision becomes diminished.

To build a more positive vision of your future it is important to recognize those historical markers that are holding us back, and then cut loose the ropes that anchor us to that portion of our past.  When we enter a relationship with God this is, in a sense, what we are doing.  We give our sins (anchors) over to Him, and look forward to His guidance and the hope of a brighter future with Him.  This principle can also be applied to our faith, family, fitness, finance and more as we recognize the things that hold us back, and begin looking forward to the transformed person that we hope to be.

 From this vision we can then build a plan to achieve this new vision of ourselves; healthier, happier, more at peace.  To do so we must recognize that the future vision we establish is not an overnight change but a destination at the other end of a journey.  Mariners set out of port with a destination in mind and as they cross the oceans they often will not set a direct course knowing the challenges that may affect their journey.  Rather they will take the best course which may be a bit more conservative or appear to be somewhat more circuitous, and then as they make their passage there will be numerous course corrections to account for obstacles, currents and changing weather conditions.

We can learn from this too.  Chart your course, understand that it may not be direct, and it may not be the fastest.  Set sail toward an empowered and improved you today, and Do Well to take the journey and course correct frequently as the winds of resistance blow against you.  You can take charge, you can reach for your vision.  Push away from the dock today and pursue your future vision of yourself, always in Christ.