I am currently reading 15 Characteristics of Effective Pastors by Kevin Mannoia and Larry Walkemeyer. Here is one the best lines so far and really so true.
"A person is not old until their memories are more important than their dreams." Unknown
I think it is easy to fall into a "living in yesterday" mindset. Life is so filled with challenges and opportunities that sometimes just reliving the past seems good enough because dreaming and diving into a new future is just so much work.
But I guess that is where you have to commit to a life that moves forward. A commitment to grow in spite of difficulties, letdowns, and heartache. You can face life in three ways.
1. Escape - which is the most tempting and often our first choice. We would rather run from the problem lest the pain increase. This may seem like the safest path but unaddressed issues in your life leave you wounded and filled with despair.
2. Management - Holding the problem at distance while trying to avoid getting too close to the mess. This method keeps your heart from engaging with pain, disappointment or betrayal.
3. Growth - This method embraces the trail with the help of God's grace. You begin asking questions like "How can I bring glory to the Lord through this?" "How is God going to shape me and prepare me to survive this?" How will I use this to help others who may be walking a similar road?"
When you try to escape, the dream in you dies. When you try the management method you are so busy resisting and avoiding that you cannot dream. When you choose growth, you commit to believing that all things are possible regardless of what you see or feel.
Those are tough questions to ask but they lead us to the Word and there we find the words to help us in whatever season we may find ourselves in.
By choosing "growth", we move forward. And that is the only way to live.
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