Years ago I read a book about planning for the second half of your life. A lot of people tend to work towards moving their life toward idle during this time but the book challenges the status quo. Statistics show that most people by age 30 have stopped growing in all areas of life except their waistline. I am hoping to to go against the status quo as well. When you get to the back half of your life time becomes more valuable and you lose the idea that your present life is an eternity. You want to make the days, weeks, years count and not just count the days, weeks and years.
Over the last few months I have been doing a lot of study of myself. I have invited a variety of people to evaluate how I do life and to give me honest feedback of what they see. Why would I do this? I want to continue the transformation process God began in me years ago when I decided to follow him as Savior and Lord (Phil. 1:6). Matter of fact I invite God to reveal whatever in my life needs to change. Psalm 139:23-24 provides a great prayer for this, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thougths. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Self evaluation is not easy but it is rewarding. If we fail to do this we miss out on a big part of the this great adventure called life. Don't limit yourself, leap forward in who you can become. Don't doubt yourself, but double the view of yourself. Don't coast into the second half of your life but carve into it with welcomed change. May our second half of life trump the first in living large and not just around the waistline!
1 comment:
Great Blog Bill! Kudos to you for taking the often painful step of self-evaluation, which, as you said, can be a painful thing to do. Sad as it is, your words ring true, that so often individuals feel that when they reach the mid-point of their life they have reached their maximum potential. We all hear of those in the ministry, especially those in your role, who suffer "burn out" and if they don't have a strong support team, walk away from their true calling. In Bill Hybel's book, he talks about "Learning How to Live with an Eternal Perspective" and to remember what Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:17 about looking at the waves from above us rather than amidst us. Living with "Eternal Perspective" to me means to continue following the path God has carved out for me, and those waves won't stop until my time on earth has ended. It also tells me that I can't "stop" making a difference in the world, but often need to re-evaluate how I do things and re-adjust along the way. One of these "re-adjustments" for me was coming back to the church. The church He guided me to was New Hope, and the Vision you have cast. I look forward to this phase of my life and the partnership with you and everyone else at New Hope as we continue to focus on what's important in life, which is to bring others to Christ and to continue to grow in my own faith as a member of the New Hope Family. You are an incredible Leader in many ways and I will continue to pray with and for you that you may clearly see His plan for you for the second half of your life. There is a quote I once heard somewhere that says "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away", and I share this because you are right when you say, what we do with the second half of our life is just as important as the first. Carry on pal, but don't forget to let others carry you when you need it.
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