In late 1979, as a young husband and father, I had a “consider-your-ways” moment. Lynne and I had been married nearly five years, and our girls were two and six months respectively. By our choice, Lynne was a stay-at-home mom. As is the case for many young marrieds with preschoolers, money was tighter than the bottle caps on some energy drinks.
We were living month to month doing everything we could to avoid building up debt. One day as I pondered our cash flow challenges, I identified, assessed, and evaluated the ways I was managing our income. I realized that in any typical month, if either of our girls were to need to go to the doctor near the end of the month, we would not have the money to pay the doctor’s bill. I knew my ways of managing income and expenses did not include a spending plan designed to anticipate such non-recurring expenses. I concluded I needed to change my ways. The next day I approached a co-worker whom I knew to be a very good family money manager and asked for help. The next night we met at his house after supper. Forty- four years later I still use his basic budgeting system and it has reaped great rewards.
What led me to call my experience a “consider-your-ways” moment? The inspiration came from a sermon I recently heard my pastor preach from the Old Testament book of Haggai. Haggai was a prophet who spoke his prophecy to the Jewish people in 520 BC. As Haggai 1:3-7 records, through Haggai God said to the people, “Consider your ways.” What would they find if they did? That they had sown much and harvested little, had eaten but not had enough, had drunk but never had their fill, had clothed themselves but had never gotten warm, and had earned wages only to put them in bags with holes. God wanted them to see that their efforts were not producing results that they intended. The strong message God sent was that they needed to change.
A “consider-your-ways” moment is when we take time to evaluate an aspect of our lives, especially to compare intended results with actual results. It’s when we identify one of our “ways”, and then evaluate it by asking questions such as,” How is this working out for me, is it yielding the results I had intended, if not, is it still a valid way to pursue, and if so, do I need to change my way or my intended results? Whereas there are myriads of areas of life where we need to consider our ways, allow me to suggest three which are foundational to every person’s life? We need to get these right if we’re going to get the rest of life right. So, consider them carefully.
- Our Worldview
We need regularly to consider whether the lens through which we view and interpret life matches the reality found around us. For example, does the reality of our incredibly ordered and creative universe support the idea that it originated from a series of accidental, random, and impersonal mutations over billions of years in a winner-take-all survival of the fittest? Or does the creative order better support the idea that it exists because of the handiwork of an all-powerful Creator God? Does the reality of the wickedness of man and the brokenness around us support the idea that people sometimes just mess up? Or does reality suggest that people are acting out of an inherent inclination to do wrong? Does reality support the idea that the best way to overcome this evil and brokenness is for everyone to try harder to do better? Or does reality suggest that someone beyond man must provide the solution? Does reality suggest that life ends at death? Or does the reality that there is a drive within us to live as long as possible indicate that God has placed eternity within each of us? - Our Purpose
We need to regularly consider why we are here. But understand this. That question requires a Creator. If there is no God, then there is no ultimate purpose for us being here – other than what we conjure up for ourselves. But if God does exist, then He made us for some purpose. That being the case, we need to regularly assess what that purpose is and whether we are fulfilling the purpose(s) He has established for us. - Our Core Values
We need to regularly assess what we consider to be most important to us in life – those non-negotiables that establish lines over which we will not cross. For example, one core value is that because God created man in His own image, life is sacred and must be protected at all costs from the womb to the tomb. Core values are important because what we truly value will drive our priorities. Our priorities will drive our goals. Our goals will drive our strategies to reach those goals. Our strategies will drive our management and use of our personal resources such as finances, time, talents, skills, emotions, and attitudes. This is why it is so important that our core values are rooted and anchored in God’s core values of righteousness, holiness, grace, mercy, salvation, forgiveness, faith, worship, and love of God, family, others, and fellow believers.
Consider your ways… regularly. The ultimate quality of your life depends upon it.
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