Ordering Your Private World

My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands.
Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5

A few of us AUXAers went on a search for wisdom last night and we found it at Georgetown's Protestant worship service. Bestselling author, Gordon MacDonald was speaking on Ordering Your Private World. He reminded us that what we see on the surface of lives of those around us doesn't share the whole story. MacDonald encouraged us to focus on building our lives on a solid foundation and gave us four questions to help us put our private world in order. I thought I'd pass them along to all of you:

1. What's the organizing principle of your life? Determining your main goal is the only way you can set the course for your future.
   
2. What are you doing with your baggage? How you view the actions of others and circumstances you can't control will either bring freedom in your life or imprison you in bitterness.
3. What dream are you living for? Is there something that's motivating you to greatness? Finding your unique God given role in your current context will give you a reason to get out of bed every morning and enable you to reach beyond yourself.
4. How are you disciplining your life now, to allow God to make you the person He wants you to be? Sacrifice is necessary to free you to focus on what's truly important. Submitting to discipline in the little things is the only way to accomplish your dream.

It's wisdom to live by! Those questions gave me a lot to think about. I hope they're helpful to you too. I pray they will make this week and every week in your life full of purpose and joy.