Lessons Learned in 2011
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As we close out this year and look forward to the opportunity to start fresh, I thought I'd share a few things I have figured out in the last 12 months-about myself, life,and God.
1. Cell phones are smarter than their users.
2. Walking around the house barefoot can be extremely hazardous.
3. Raising teenagers is exponentially more difficult than you think it should be.
4. Very few people can maintain a balanced, peaceful life over the long term.
5. When you lose perspective, peace becomes elusive.
6. Failing to make God a priority for even one day can make you lose perspective.
This year I have been listening to a podcast called Daily Audio Bible. It's a wonderful ministry by Brian Hardin to guide listeners through the Bible in a year. A few times during the year, I've had to play catch-up, taking in two or three podcasts in a day. Most recently, I began to get really behind around Thanksgiving. For the entire month leading up to Christmas, I probably only listened three or four days. Throughout this time, the Holy Spirit was nudging me: "You've come so far, don't let Satan distract you now," "Are you going to let him destroy your 'year through the Word'?"
At the same time, I could feel myself being dragged down. Stress at work, financial woes due to Christmas purchases, and fear that everything was coming down around me culminated in the worst evening of the year. By the middle of that Christmas shopping trip, I was sitting in my car in a busy parking lot crying, trying to keep it together long enough to get through the night.
That night, I made a promise to the Lord: I was going to finish the Bible this year. This past Monday, I picked up where I had left off. Four podcasts Monday, four Tuesday, six Wednesday...I'm on a roll. And you know the most amazing thing? All that stuff I'd been devastated by began to come into perspective. Peace began washing over me with every word spoken from Scripture. My circumstances hadn't really changed much; just my attitude.
The most important lesson I learned this year is that I can't live an empowered life apart from God. Satan's greatest joy is in watching God's people slip away from Him a day at a time. Apathy is as much a win for Satan as agnosticism or atheism. God has called us to be set apart. We do that by being 'attached at the hip' to our Lord.
Are you living an empowered life?
What is stopping you from being in the Word every day?
Does being 'busy' fulfill you? Does it bring you peace and joy?
Is there really anything in this world that is worth missing time with your Creator?
1. Cell phones are smarter than their users.
2. Walking around the house barefoot can be extremely hazardous.
3. Raising teenagers is exponentially more difficult than you think it should be.
4. Very few people can maintain a balanced, peaceful life over the long term.
5. When you lose perspective, peace becomes elusive.
6. Failing to make God a priority for even one day can make you lose perspective.
This year I have been listening to a podcast called Daily Audio Bible. It's a wonderful ministry by Brian Hardin to guide listeners through the Bible in a year. A few times during the year, I've had to play catch-up, taking in two or three podcasts in a day. Most recently, I began to get really behind around Thanksgiving. For the entire month leading up to Christmas, I probably only listened three or four days. Throughout this time, the Holy Spirit was nudging me: "You've come so far, don't let Satan distract you now," "Are you going to let him destroy your 'year through the Word'?"
At the same time, I could feel myself being dragged down. Stress at work, financial woes due to Christmas purchases, and fear that everything was coming down around me culminated in the worst evening of the year. By the middle of that Christmas shopping trip, I was sitting in my car in a busy parking lot crying, trying to keep it together long enough to get through the night.
That night, I made a promise to the Lord: I was going to finish the Bible this year. This past Monday, I picked up where I had left off. Four podcasts Monday, four Tuesday, six Wednesday...I'm on a roll. And you know the most amazing thing? All that stuff I'd been devastated by began to come into perspective. Peace began washing over me with every word spoken from Scripture. My circumstances hadn't really changed much; just my attitude.
The most important lesson I learned this year is that I can't live an empowered life apart from God. Satan's greatest joy is in watching God's people slip away from Him a day at a time. Apathy is as much a win for Satan as agnosticism or atheism. God has called us to be set apart. We do that by being 'attached at the hip' to our Lord.
Are you living an empowered life?
What is stopping you from being in the Word every day?
Does being 'busy' fulfill you? Does it bring you peace and joy?
Is there really anything in this world that is worth missing time with your Creator?
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