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.

Finding Inspiration

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

John 13:15

We all set goals. If you're like me, your record of success is mixed. At the first TNW of the semester, I talked about my goal of getting healthy. This has been on my New Year's resolution list several times before, but, like most of the others on the list, it was forgotten by February. This year it's different. I'm staying on track and I've lost 13 pounds since Christmas!

Last night, as I was inspecting the nutritional info on a box of doughnuts (which I didn't eat), a friend asked what I was doing. When I told her about my goals she was surprised. She had thought that I had been blessed with an overactive metabolism. That got me thinking--why have I been so successful this time when I've failed so many other times before? I think part of the answer is found in external motivation. Last year, my father had a heart attack. A few months ago, my twin brother informed me of his blood pressure issues and the cholesterol medication he was taking. That's when I knew I needed to make some changes. On the positive side, both my brother and my wife have started to change their habits too. I also found a website that helps me chart my progress. That's a lot of external motivation!

This Wednesday we begin the season of Lent. It's 40 days (counted Ash Wednesday through Easter, not including Sundays) of preparation for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. Although it has a biblical foundation (Jesus fasted for 40 days before he started his public ministry), Jesus never told us we had to do it. So why have his followers been observing Lent for centuries? One simple answer is that it works. Setting aside a period of time every year to grow closer to Jesus and serve those around us has a way of helping the image of God become more visible. Are you struggling with finding time for God in your schedule? Lent can be a great motivation to carve out a few moments every day for prayer and study. Are you finding certain things are distracting you from growing more like Jesus? Lent can be a great time to fast, or take a break from these things. Are you struggling with selfishness? Committing yourself to regular service over the next 40 days can go a long way in changing your heart. Observing Lent is starting to sound like a pretty good idea to me! Give it a try and see if a little external motivation will work for you. Need some more motivation? Millions of Christians all over the world will be joining you in your pursuit!