How have the past 3 months changed the way you view life and work?
For many of us, this has been a welcome pause, a time to reset and reevaluate priorities and values.
Some positives I have heard others mention are: more family time, less time spent commuting, more exercise, greater creativity and productivity, especially for all those projects you’ve put off because you were always too busy, and (this is a big one) permission to be less busy without feeling guilty about it.
These have been true for me too, but perhaps an even more significant personal gain has been the opportuity to spend more time reflecting on meaning and purpose.
Our leadership group at church recently embarked on a study of Pastor Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?
Some things I learned this week:
It’s not about me.
“You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.”
Rick Warren
I am not an accident.
I am alive because God wanted to create me.
He specially chose my family, my childhood experiences, my appearance, my race and nationality.
This world is not my home.
If my timeline is Eternity, then it matters where I put my energy and talents, because my choices have bigger cosmic implications beyond my personal goals, work-life balance, and what is important to me and my family.
What am I so busy with right now, and how much of it actually matters?
Have I so completely identified with the values of the culture in which I live that I have become an ambassador for the world instead of for Christ?
Whose viewpoint and values am I seeing life through?
If I think about it carefully, a lot of what I have imbibed from personal development experts and books are in conflict with my faith, because the teachings are based on a humanistic viewpoint rather than God’s. (This one scares me the most, because it means I may have to unlearn everything I have spent the past 16 years devotedly studying and practising!)
The ultimate purpose of my life is to bring glory to God.
What does this mean and how do I live it out on a day-to-day basis?
What do I need to start doing differently?