Resilience

Gordon MacDonald begins his book A Resilient Life with these words:

"In the great race of life, there are some Christ-followers who stand out from all the rest.  I call them the resilient ones.  The further they run, the stronger they get.  They seem to possess these spiritual quailities:

• They are committed to finishing strong
• They run inspired by a big-picture view of life.
• They run free of the weight of the past.
• They run confidently, trained to go the distance.
• They run in the company of a 'happy few'" (vii).

I read those words and am instantly challenged to think about where I am on my journey with Christ, and the challenge He has set before me in these days.  Too often, we Christians settle for a life far beneath what God ever intended.  We are happy to accept His saving grace and the promise of eternal life, but then go on living life as if "being" a Christian is only about what awaits us in eternity.  I don't know that I have ever subscribed to that belief, but I must admit there have been times I have coasted along in my faith, not really living the difference that Jesus makes.

In my pursuit to understand God's chazoan for me, and in seeking to hear His still small voice as I seek to daily live as a disciple of Jesus, I am convinced that He is calling me to an intensity of faith and life that I have never really known.  It is a life that is committed not to just finishing strong, but living strong every day for Jesus. 

In the weeks to come, I am intentionally going to get quiet before Him.  Unplugging from the distractions of cell phones and the internet for extended times daily, and even from people and conversation -- I want to just commune in His presence and listen -- listen to His voice, hear His heartbeat, and understand what it is in this moment, in these days that He wants to say to me.  At times I will share the adventure, but mostly it will be a quiet journey -- to know and to be known by Him.  On the other side of this sabbatical, my prayer is that I will in fact have discovered my chazoan and in addition, become resilient, not in my own strength, but in His as He works out His will in and through me.

What in the world is "chazown"?

Craig Groeschel writes that "chazown is the Hebrew word for vision, and it's what God had in mind for you when you were created. Each of us is a masterpiece, placed on earth for a unique purpose that's solely ours to fulfill."

Lately I have begun a journey that is helping me to listen to the Lord as He directs me into the second half of my ministerial career that I might finish well.  In the midst of that journey, I keep encountering this word and the whole of the concept that goes with it.  In a few days I will begin a six week sabbatical that will be focused completely on discovering my chazown for the second half of my journey.  I am excited about what lies ahead, and am eagerly listening to and for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to guide me on the process.  Join me here as I share the journey and what I am learning day by day.