“[God] has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”
Matthew 25.23 NLT

Day 4 of 40: I’m writing this at the auto repair shop. This is one of several visits over the last couple of weeks since our “brush with death” accident in Florida.

Our car spun off the road during heavy rain and into a ditch… and, by God’s grace, a “soft” collision. There was $6000 worth of damage and we had some bumps and bruises… but we walked away… wondering “What was that all about?”

So… eternity has been on my mind.

Over the years I have been working for that eternal “well done.” I’ve tried to make the most of what I’ve been given, thought of myself as a steward, multiplied investments at every level, and generally left things better than I found them.

And eternity is on my heart and mind right now. I’ve cut back on a lot of activities that have no eternal value as far as I can see. I’ve eliminated a lot of stress – “spin outs” excepted – and live a pretty simple life. So I’m ready to place myself at God’s disposal… again.

The question of the day is: In light of eternity, what one one thing should I stop/start doing? Fair enough.

My best answer right now – stop thinking about myself (how I can use my gifts, experience, etc)… and start thinking about others (how can I help the people around me).

God may place something else on my heart… but for now, that’s a start.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Isaiah 26:3 NLT

“A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.”
Proverbs 13:7 MSG

Day 3 of 40: My life right now is pretty “plain and simple” but it doesn’t feel very full.

The driving principle of my life has changed over the years. BC – it was all about me… success, money. I can remember riding my motorcycle through Beverly Hills thinking “one day one of these houses will be mine.” At the time, I was out of work, a stranger in a strange land – Southern California.

AD – it was about bringing people into a living relationship with Christ. But it was also about “competence.”

My personality tests out as an INTJ (Myers Briggs) and people like me (there’s not a lot of us, only 1-2% of the population) value competence highly. We do not “suffer fools gladly” (2 Cor 11.19 KJV) And we do not make friends easily. We are “visionary leaders” – sometimes others catch the vision, and sometimes they don’t. We can accomplish great things, but we can also be pushy, driven, proud, stubborn and insensitive. Is it any wonder we don’t have huge Facebook followings?

We also learn from our mistakes, so that by the time I neared retirement… I was reasonably competent and the last couple of years of ministry were highly successful – as measured by changed lives and commitments to Christ.

But that was then and this is now. I’m retired and life has moved on. My life was never “pretentious and showy” (with one exception I can think of), nor has it ever been more “simple.” But I’m not feeling very fulfilled either.

That’s why I’m re-reading the Purpose Driven Life. I’m seeking that promised place of “perfect peace” for those who trust God. And writing this blog is an opportunity to process it all.