By Michael A. Halleen
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." (Ecclesiastes 9:10a)
Clients in my leadership development work often hear me ask them to develop an action plan. It is basic planning, nothing original or profound. So, I ask, what is the goal? What steps are needed to get there? What will be the first step, and when will it be completed? Philip Yancey reminds us that we also need an action plan if we want to move toward being authentic, effective and content human beings. Consider some steps in that direction:
Allow what is good and encouraging to penetrate your spirit as deeply as the bad.
For some reason it takes a dozen encouragements to balance the impact of one negative encounter. The several successes we had yesterday still have not overcome the single failure of last week. A good plan might be to start each morning with a prayer (or even some self-talk) of gratitude for the events and relationships that await us and to fall asleep at night with thoughts of thankfulness rather than self-criticism for what has been. We move toward that upon which we dwell, so let those positive moments come often into focus. Give thanks with all your might.
Let satisfaction be a reward you accept without guilt.
Sometimes, because of messages received in childhood, we imagine that if we feel good we are somehow displeasing God. But it is actions, not feelings, which please or displease God. The Scottish athlete Eric Liddell ("Chariots of Fire") told his sister who wanted him to give up his running in order to be a missionary, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure." Ask yourself what makes you sense God's pleasure. Identify that and do it with all your might.
Make forgiveness your primary response to those who wound you.
A friend told me of a massage therapist who can discern with his fingers which leg a patient usually crosses over the other while sitting. The continuing effect of tension in the muscles gives it away. So also do our bodies and souls store up unresolved tension when we carry resentments with us through the day. They keep us from full health and real contentment. Let them go. When I get a dent in my car I have it pounded out and repainted. For heaven's sake, why would I not do the same for my heart? Forgive with all your might.
So, what's your goal? What steps are needed to get there? What will be the first step, and when will you take it?
My Comments: There were several points in this message that hit home with me, but the message of forgiveness was the primary one I took away. We are wounded so often and easily by the life we live. It is just not worth the effort to carry resentment and anger about those experiences into our lives. We must leave that at the cross of Christ and be healed of our wounds there.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." (Ecclesiastes 9:10a)
Clients in my leadership development work often hear me ask them to develop an action plan. It is basic planning, nothing original or profound. So, I ask, what is the goal? What steps are needed to get there? What will be the first step, and when will it be completed? Philip Yancey reminds us that we also need an action plan if we want to move toward being authentic, effective and content human beings. Consider some steps in that direction:
Allow what is good and encouraging to penetrate your spirit as deeply as the bad.
For some reason it takes a dozen encouragements to balance the impact of one negative encounter. The several successes we had yesterday still have not overcome the single failure of last week. A good plan might be to start each morning with a prayer (or even some self-talk) of gratitude for the events and relationships that await us and to fall asleep at night with thoughts of thankfulness rather than self-criticism for what has been. We move toward that upon which we dwell, so let those positive moments come often into focus. Give thanks with all your might.
Let satisfaction be a reward you accept without guilt.
Sometimes, because of messages received in childhood, we imagine that if we feel good we are somehow displeasing God. But it is actions, not feelings, which please or displease God. The Scottish athlete Eric Liddell ("Chariots of Fire") told his sister who wanted him to give up his running in order to be a missionary, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure." Ask yourself what makes you sense God's pleasure. Identify that and do it with all your might.
Make forgiveness your primary response to those who wound you.
A friend told me of a massage therapist who can discern with his fingers which leg a patient usually crosses over the other while sitting. The continuing effect of tension in the muscles gives it away. So also do our bodies and souls store up unresolved tension when we carry resentments with us through the day. They keep us from full health and real contentment. Let them go. When I get a dent in my car I have it pounded out and repainted. For heaven's sake, why would I not do the same for my heart? Forgive with all your might.
So, what's your goal? What steps are needed to get there? What will be the first step, and when will you take it?
My Comments: There were several points in this message that hit home with me, but the message of forgiveness was the primary one I took away. We are wounded so often and easily by the life we live. It is just not worth the effort to carry resentment and anger about those experiences into our lives. We must leave that at the cross of Christ and be healed of our wounds there.
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