morningstarmen

No matter how old or tired or even trite it may sound, actions really do speak much louder than words; especially when trying to communicate important ideas across cultural and political divides. Let's take a look at the value of the Greatest Commandment and why it matters as much today as ever.

If the true definition of failure is to quit before success, then knowing how to keep going through the difficult times is an important matter. Let's look at some ways that every man can improve his tenacity in the face of large obstacles which don't yield easily or quickly.

 

We've all experienced it...the deep internal knowing that we're stuck. Not just neck deep in a problem but with hope of a solution, but genuinely stuck. We know we're not moving on, moving up, moving out, moving anywhere at all - at least not in this particular area of life. Great leadership matters to us, at a deeply personal level. We each need leaders who can paint that picture of a better or different or larger future. Of course we do, and our lives are richer for having them. But there's a 2nd type of leader which each of us needs. Let's call that person the "Experience Leader". This person has been where we are and has moved from there. They know how to get to the other side of stuckness. Let's take a look at how that can work itself out in our Christian Communities.

If you've ever thought that life was difficult for you or that maybe life had it in for you, then you certainly aren't alone in that experience. One of the shared and universally agreed experiences of humanity is that problems are an inevitable part of life. But do you know why? Let's look at that this week.

This week in our series "What to do when you don't know what to do, we'll look at several new ideas which can help us to make good choices and then live at peace with the consequences they bring.

First: Every big choice, if in fact there really is some choosing to do will be difficult to make and require substantial effort. Very few big choices that are choices are obviously the only right choice. Know that it's normal to struggle with big decisions. Expect it, don't be surprised by it.

Second: Choose in ways that have the potential for great outcomes. Safe decisions may keep you smiling all the time, but you'll experience the regret of lost opportunity later on. Choose so you won't regret your behavior and you won't regret the risks you took in attempting some worthy but difficult mission.

Third: Know the season of life you are in when making choices. Certain options are right for any season of life while others may be noble options, but just not for the season of life you're living through now. Don't abandon the good work which you're now doing to chase after some other good work. Finish what you've begun first.

Fourth: It's not unusual (even if it is surprising to many) that even God's people will not always feel God's presence and assurance while living through difficult seasons brought on by tough choices. Jesus promised to be with us, but that didn't translate into sensing his presence at all times or having life look like we'd expect it would if God were walking with us. Sometimes we just have to gut it out on the promises we received and the knowledge that the choices were good ones even if they bring us pain or difficulty.

Choice. It's a great gift. The freedom and the wisdom to choose make a great combination. Still, decisions alone don't amount to all that much. It's actually our follow-through, the willingness to manage the choices which we've already made that counts. Therefore, when we want to make great choices, not only do we need the wisdom to choose well, but the discernment to determine if we can and want to manage what we've chosen. Here's the way we're saying this. Once we OBTAIN something we have an ongoing responsibility to MAINTAIN it. That's true for relationships, for positions, for possessions. What we obtain, we must then maintain. So, if we are not first ready to maintain, that alone should call into question the sense or prudence of or wanting to obtain it.

Let's dig into that idea together.