06 March 2011
Lessons from the Journey
03/10/11 11:50 AM Filed in: From the Pastor
Richard Exley, my good friend and pastor for many years, turned sixty a few years ago and celebrated that milestone by writing down a few life lessons he’s learned along his journey. I’m going to mention them in today’s message and thought I would provide them in today’s From The Pastor.”
We Cannot Escape Life’s Difficulties But We Can Prepare For Them.
- No One Goes Through Life Unscathed: Sooner or later someone you trust will betray you, a business deal with go south leaving you in a financial crisis, illness strikes or someone you love dies.
- Refuse To Define Your Life By A Single Event: Whatever it may be, that event is a real part of your life but that is all – just a part.
- Make Peace With Your Pain: When you have been wounded it is critical to make peace with your pain, turning it into an ally. Embrace it and learn from it.
- Storms Produce Strength And Character: I hate hard times but in looking back over my life I can see that the hard times have been used by God to make me who I am today. Without them I wouldn’t be the man God has called me to be.
- God Always Uses Imperfect People: Imperfect people are the only kind of people there are. God has a history of using the insignificant to accomplish the impossible!
- I Am A Flawed Man: If I deny this painful truth I condemn myself to a life of secrecy and deception. If I acknowledge it I am free from the need to pretend to be something I am not and freed from pretending I can honestly embrace the grace of God that makes me a new man.
- Life Is Too Short To Hold A Grudge: You can’t embrace life if your fists are clenched and ready to take revenge.
- Life Is Often A Mystery: When tragedies strike we are often tempted to ask why. While this is natural it is an exercise in futility. Even if we could figure out “why” something happened it wouldn’t change a thing. At sixty, I am finally learning to replace the “why” questions with “how” questions. Instead of asking, “why did this happen”, I am learning to ask “how is God going to use this for my good and His glory.”
- In Every Situation I Can Be Part Of The Problem Or I Can Be Part Of The Solution: The choice is mine.
- Never Let Anyone Make You Into Something You Are Not.
We Cannot Escape Life’s Difficulties But We Can Prepare For Them.