Newsletter Essay: July

Jesus certainly believed we should have a plan for our lives.  On one occasion he told his disciples:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king.  Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?  If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.”

JESUS IS ASKING US TO REFLECT ON OUR LIVES AND NOT SIMPLY REACT TO OUR LIVES.

There are probably a couple of reasons why some people refuse to plan.  ONE IS A FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS.  You probably have heard that cry of despair that goes like this: “If you want to make God laugh, show him your calendar.”  That is,  you’ve made plans and then, Whack!, out of the blue an event occurs--a crisis with your health, or the loss of a job, or a divorce or a problem with one of your kids--and all your well-made plan are knocked askew.  It happens to us all.

A SECOND REASON MANY OF US FAIL IS THAT WE SIMPLY DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE.  That is, if we plan for such things as financial security, marital happiness, good health, and a meaningful legacy to our community--we might have to change some of our present habits.  And we do not like to change.

If that is your attitude, you don’t want to hear Jesus’s words about sitting down before you build a tower or before you engage an enemy because planning for the future implies changes in how we live in the present.  I trust that few of us are that foolish, however.  We would like to make our lives count for something.  We would like to fulfill our dreams, and to believe that our best days lie ahead.  So, where do we begin?

LET’S BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND.  That’s what Stephen Covey encouraged us to do a few years back with his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  When we get to the end of our life, will we do so with a lot of regrets?  What will our friends say about us?  Our family?  Will we have the resources to meet the challenges of our final years, not only financial resources, but emotional resources, relational resources, spiritual resources?

And then there’s our relationship with God. What would it mean for your spiritual life if you began spending a little time each day in God’s presence, listening for God’s guidance in how you should lead your life and committing yourself daily, unconditionally to walking in the way God would have you go?

LET ME CHALLENGE YOU THIS DAY TO BEGIN MAKING SOME SMALL DEPOSITS IN YOUR “LIFEWEALTH” ACCOUNT.  Take each of  these four areas of your life--your finances, your health, your relationships, especially your relationship with your spouse or your children, and your relationship with God.  What is one thing you can do to improve each of these areas of your life?  This is not a frivolous thing.  This could be the most important day of your life if you would make a few small changes that would change your final life destination just a few small degrees.

Jesus was warning his followers to carefully consider the cost of discipleship.  But his words also carry a very practical message about living.  Think about your life.  Where are you headed?  What will it take to get you where you want to be and where God wants you to be?  Start today making the changes that are necessary to take you where you want to go.

                                                                       Grace and Peace,   

                                                                            John