Power with Purpose!

Recently a door opened for my wife and I to get away for a few days, and a good couple, sensitive to the need, really came through for us with a great place to stay.

I have to say that Sandra and I probably enjoyed ourselves this weekend more than any other time since we have been married. We definitely discovered that God has truly brought us into a state of being in one mind and one accord. You're supposed to have that when you're married, right?

We have always been pretty good at working through the various difficulties we have had to face in our marriage. It's been a matter of caring enough about the other half of yourself that you're willing to give and compromise. Stubbornness and selfishness must go to the back of the bus.

How did we get here? I had been spending daily time in the Word and in prayer regarding our upcoming getaway. I welcomed the opportunity not just for relaxation, but to get some meaningful and lasting time for reflection and regrouping. You see, I quickly came to understand that; once the vacation was over, the same problems and stresses that we left would be there when we got back. My question then was, "How do I use this time to relax yet also make it profitable in light of my current season?"

Changing my way of thinking has been at the forefront of my thought life. The reason was; after reflecting upon the past few years, I realized that a change was overdue. A lot of (what I thought was), God's will simply wasn't bearing fruit, and through my studies I began to realize that it was time to “let go and let God…”

In preparation for our weekend together I started by writing down the issues that I wanted to deal with. Then I listed the goals that I wanted to achieve for the year. Then I began to study the resources that I had built up over the years that dealt with problem solving and goal management. I listed relevant notes regarding each subject in my paper. As the paper grew and matured I continued to pray and read. The Daniel Fast and other changes in my diet helped tremendously with my ability to focus and avoid thinking traps. By the time our mini-vacation was here, I was pleased to see that my study and prayer time was beginning to pay off. Answers to most of my questions were listed on the paper and my focus went from a generalized, round-about jumble of possibilities to a laser-focused outline of an action plan - exactly the result I was looking for!

Actually, the results were a combination of putting off some things as well as making changes. Sandra and I were very pleased with what we ended up with. The plan we have in place relieves us of a lot of unnecessary stress and unrealistic expectations. It frees us up to objectively evaluate our responsibilities, our needs, and our desires. It has helped us to turn our goals into S.M.A.R.T. goals, (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). It also revealed to us some things that we were neglecting in our lives; things we thought were meant as a test or sacrifice for the kingdom. In fact, they were simply things that we needed to stop neglecting and take care of: things that we were avoiding, avoidance that was justified for the sake of 'being faithful.'

Where do we stand now? We are a lot clearer on both our immediate needs and our future goals. Our attitude is better about almost everything and our to-do list is more manageable. One specific thing we realized about time management was that; like a financial budget, your time budget needs maneuvering room. It needs a little (sometimes a lot of!) grease for the wheel now and again. This is something we learned about our money a few years back and it has paid off in both peace and prosperity.

Finally, I have reconciled within myself that there are some things that I wish would happen that probably won’t. God has given me the grace (through prayer, fasting, study, and a great speech by Tommy John on knowing your limits), to accept this and the joy to continue what the Lord has gifted me to do without the unnecessary burden that comes with aiming too high, too far, and by taking into account that; sometimes, you have to use a little ‘windage’ to hit the target.

This would be a good spot to paraphrase Elizabeth Gilbert: You may have hit your peak, past your prime, and your best work may behind you. Then again it may not. Just keep doing your job: “Continue to show up for your piece of it… the most extraordinary aspects of our being may not come from you but, maybe, if you just believe that they’re on loan to you…”

Ole’ nonetheless, Elizabeth! Ole' nonetheless!