The church I've been attending is doing a series on building your faith called "God's Gym." On a daily basis, tips are posted on the website for daily time with God. In a recent post, there was a tip based on a book written by two pastors (Henry Cloud and John Townsend) called "How People Grow." Essentially there are three elements: grace, truth and time. Grace is described as "an atmosphere in which we are allowed to admit our sins, weaknesses and faults without fear of condemnation..." Truth is described as "an environment in which Biblical truth will consistently be spoken into our lives...." Time is described as "an environment where spiritual progress over time is the expectation...." (There is more to the explanations, of course but in the interest of using my time, I am trying to type the "main idea").
Since the start of 2010, I have been pretty constantly trying to assess the people, circumstances, and things in my life and whether they are positive, negative or neutral. The people, circumstances and things in my life that are negative are what I am concentrating attention on getting rid of AND replacing with positive people, circumstances, or things. Those that are neutral, I am making an effort to put some pressure on and see which direction they go. Those that are positive, I am choosing to hold dear and do my best to appreciate these people, circumstances and things to the fullest. It all sounds rather confusing so I will give some examples....
The Lord has blessed me with general good health with a family health history that is not entirely favorable. I am choosing to appreciate this by making an effort to eat healthier, exhibit portion control, and work out. I am monitoring my BMI and making an effort to keep it at a healthy level. I am trying to be more active physically and looking forward to the nicer weather on that end.
The Lord has blessed me with four amazing children. I am choosing to appreciate them more by spending time with them trying to figure out what their true gifts and passions are and moving them towards using them in a positive manner. They each have unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses and I'm dedicating individual time to them to help them work towards whatever goals they set.
The Lord has blessed me with amazing extended family. Saying that my family life is crazy and dramatic is the understatement of the year. I have got some tremendous people that I refer to as my "extended family" that have been my saving grace. These people are the close friends, parents of friends, and, in some cases, actual relatives through marriage or blood that have changed my lives in positive ways. These are the people that are really there for me when I need it to encourage me, give me advice or be a shoulder to cry on. My appreciation for them extends beyond anything I could ever show and I am making my best effort to tell them just how wonderful they are.
We are facing, though, decisions in our future that will change the course of some of the neutral circumstances. Things are constantly changing in our lives and in this nation and there aren't alot of soft places to fall anymore (if there ever were). I am praying that God makes our paths clear and constant. I pray that He gives us the strength, patience and resources to make it break through the obstacles and stand firm where we need to stand. I pray that He gives us discernment where we're indecisive and uncertain. I pray that He provides His protection and His blessings and His abundance.
More than that, though, this lesson gave me real pause to evaluate where my growth stands. Do I live in an environment where I can admit my sins and weaknesses without fear of condemnation? Am I creating that environment for those around me? Am I living in an environment where the Biblical truth is spoken consistently? Am I speaking it consistently myself? Am I living in an environment where spiritual growth is expecting and am I growing spiritually myself?
Though I definitely got a wake-up call on a few areas of my life, what I got the most from this lesson was another example of the fullness of God's amazing grace. I got a lesson in God's acceptance and His forgiveness and how little I exhibit them in the scheme of things. I got a lesson in God's ability to accept us just as we are and how poorly I exhibit this myself in the scheme of things. I got a wake up call to work harder, pray more, and show more of the love that Christ gives to me. I thought that this was a fitting first post in a blog titled Moving Forward: A Journey of Faith. This is where this particular journey begins.