I know the title of this post is quite a mouthful... In fact, many books have been written on each of these words separately, never mind on all 3 at the same time. I'll do my best to keep it short(ish), but I'm afraid no promises can be made on it being light hearted. In fact, much of this post cuts to the heart of a number of matters generally and purposefully avoided by many of us. There are of course many reasons for this, yet sadly there can be no resolution or change through avoidance. With that said, let's dive in...
What if I told you that I have a bullet proof solution or formula for a life to be lived without regret, disillusionment, meaninglessness, rejection, burnout, fear, lack, insecurity, mistrust or defeat (list 1). Said another way, what would you pay for the key to a life filled with purpose, passion, intimacy, celebration, rest, courage, security, commitment and victory (list 2)? Guaranteed. Got your attention? Good...
So, how much would that be worth? All you have? Your 13th cheque? What's your price, or said another way, let's consider the cost. Here's list 1 again, this time including some loose definitions:
List 1:
List 1:
- Regret? The emotional expenditure of wishing that things could have worked out differently...
- Disillusionment? The inability to comprehend or accept why someone did what they did, or something happened like it did...
- Meaninglessness? The deep and depressing state of realizing that nothing really matters, or that life has little or no purpose...
- Rejection? The sick to your stomach feeling of being unloved, unvaluable and unimportant to those you deem important...
- Burnout? The inability to manage the demands in your life and being spent to your very bones in trying to do so...
- Fear? The paralysing sensation that you are powerless to defend yourself against whatever it is that threatens you...
- Insecurity? The inability to have your needs met in some shape or form that is really important to you...
- Mistrust? The inability to truly rely on anyone other than yourself, and hence the need to remain guarded and often cynical...
- Defeat? The state of being rendered powerless to overcome that thing in your life that beats you down, and down, and down again...
And what about the opposite? What would you say ownership of list 2 is worth?
List 2:
List 2:
- Purpose? That feeling that your life matters and you have a vital role to play in the overall well-being of those around you...
- Passion? The deep energy that wells up within you when considering a person, place or situation of some sorts...
- Intimacy? The deep need and ability to know and be fully known, emotionally, sexually, spiritually...
- Celebration? The great joy associated with freely celebrating those achievements and undertakings dearest to us...
- Rest? The ability to enter into that state of being at complete peace with yourself, others and God...
- Courage? Facing your greatest fears, staring them down, and then redefining their entire influence in your life...
- Security? To be able to provide for and protect ourselves, and those that matter the most to us...
- Commitment? For you and those you trust to be found faithful and true to pledged allegiances and promises...
- Victory? To be able to stand and share the glory with those you have chosen to fight with and for...
Before you settle on a price for all of this, let's get a little real 1st... What does your list look like currently? I mean, to use accounting terminology, are you in the red (list 1 > list 2) or in the black (list 2 > list 1)? Personally, and upon some reflection over the past 10 years (because we all know life only really starts after 30), there are 3 practices I would like to draw our attention to in relation to these 2 lists. But just before I do so, I want to briefly touch on their origins, because as with many things, origination is a vital component of understanding.
We've all heard of Love, Faith & Hope right... The 3 foundational Christian virtues? So what about them? Well, quite simply, these are the essential and eternal virtues given to human kind by God himself. They are the foundations for all that is good and valuable, they have no inherent value based on our understanding or opinion thereof, but rather in the fact that they are the very DNA or life code for all the universe, and flow from the very throne of God. My point and perspective in saying all of this is simply...
- There can be no sustainable, effective or holistic achievement of list 2, without 1st recognising that without God, and his common gifts and kindness to humanity in these 3 virtues, there is simply no basis for list 2 whatsoever.
- I hope to show below, that there exists a direct link between these 3 heavenly and eternal virtues, and the application of the 3 practices I would consider to be critical in the formation of list 2 in our lives.
The 3 practices I am of course referring to, are those in the title of this post: Vision, Guts and Grace. For application purposes, I have examined each of these keystone practices strictly from my point of understanding and experience, together with their associated impact on the desired formation and development of list 2 in my life.
1. If Hope is divine, then Vision must be one of its best earthly practices...
1. If Hope is divine, then Vision must be one of its best earthly practices...
Much has been said about Vision throughout the ages, from the bible that says without it people will simply perish (Proverbs 29:18), to more contemporary accounts of liberation movements inspired by men and women who have stated the almost immortal words 'I have a vision [dream]...'. For clarity of definition sake, and in borrowing from too many sources to mention, we well know the saying 'You don't need eyes to see, you need vision'. Because vision can only actually be seen from the future... and where there is no Hope for a better future, there can be no vision.
In my experience, Vision has been birthed from a place of personal dissatisfaction with the status quo, which underlines the belief in a better tomorrow, but also questions ones willingness to play a part in bringing about the change required. I have drafted 2 vision documents for our life in the past 5 years, each rooted in a personal conviction and desire to live a life that matters both while we are here, and when we pass on. Each of the documents took months to prepare. In the same way that a business plan needs to consider all the key elements of a business, so a personal vision document must consider all those elements key to life.
Why would we think or behave any differently in our aspirations for living a life of purpose and meaning, than we do in our aspirations for becoming better educated or acquiring wealth? In the end, is it not the absence of a Vision for the implementation of my education or wealth, that leaves me lacking in my purpose or courage?
What am I trying to say?
Do you long for Purpose, Courage and Victory in your life? If so, find a Vision rooted in your current dissatisfaction with the status quo, and a Hope that the future will be better tomorrow than today, and that you have an indispensable role to play in that outcome.
Some guidelines in formulating such a Vision;
- It's always bigger than you, because it's not about you, and it could never be achieved alone.
- Hence the bible reminds us to share the vision, so that others might run along with us at the appointed time and fashion (Habakkuk 2:2).
- Acts 2:17 also reminds us that it is God who gives vision, and liberally at that, not forgetting that it's only truly birthed and fulfilled in an eternal Hope.
Guts... now that's a word we don't hear spoken much of anymore! Fortunately for me, I got an up close and personal education in guts. My father has more guts than any man I know. He was recently awarded the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Award which pays tribute to 1 South African doctor each year who has (within their hospital network) demonstrated leadership in their specific field, while contributing to the advancement of the medical profession. That's the 'post op' rendition. I'll tell you what it looks like 'in the theatre'...
It means caring for dying people all the time, and when they're dead, caring for their families too. It means still treating someone when they can't afford that treatment, or when the medical aid cover is hopelessly insufficient or simply not forthcoming. It means climbing out of bed at 1, 3 or / and 5am if you're on call for a career spanning 40 years. In my dad's case, it also meant climbing out of bed at 1, 3 or / and 5am if no one else was prepared to do so. It meant having to advise on life and death decisions daily, and then come home and advise on the running on a household, with 3 (crazy) kids and a lonely wife. My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this year, to say nothing of the guts that takes, or anything of the role my mom played in all of this (at enormous personal and mostly unrecognized cost).
My dad's example reminds me that my expressed faith in God, is made real in my faithfulness in that to which he has called me, and if that which I am called to is to glorify God, then it will almost certainly require a whole lot of Guts.
What am I trying to say?
Do you long for such Passion, Commitment & Celebration in your life? If so, find the Guts rooted in the Faith that what you do matters more than you can ever imagine, in particular if it's done for the sole good and benefit of another (because God designed it that way).
Some guidelines on finding Guts;
- It's linked to something you're passionate about
- It will always require more commitment than you could imagine
- But in the end, when you stop to celebrate the outcome, it will be worth it
3. If Love is divine, then Grace must be one of its best earthly practices...
To be honest, I only 'got' grace about 10 years ago, so I'm no master on the topic, but then again, perhaps Max Lucado's quote on understanding grace says it best... 'there's an ex con walking the streets of gold (in heaven) who knows more about grace than a thousand theologians' (with reference to the repentant sinner crucified with Christ). In staying within a Christian context, one thing I certainly do know about grace however, and very sadly so, is that it's broadly taught and understood as a singular concept of God's response to my sin. In other words, Jesus died for my sins, which is the manifestation of God's grace to me and the world. This of course is true, but it's not the whole truth.
The remaining portion of this truth, and that which so often is missing, is my response to God's forgiveness (the ultimate Grace). Because therein is the biggest clue as to whether I've correctly understood real grace in the 1st place. In other words, if Jesus death for you amounts to little more than a self serving faith and a 'free ticket to heaven', then I would say that you might have bought a grace ticket, but you've definitely boarded the wrong train! As Dietrich Bonhoeffer (the German pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident) would say; “Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all he has. It is the pearl of great price to by which the merchant will sell all his goods.”
You know you've got Grace when you understand in your heart that God gave his dearest possession (his Son) for you, and so for you to offer back your dearest possession (your life), as an act of gratitude and worship, becomes as natural a thing as to enjoy an ice cream on a hot summers day.
What am I trying to say?
Do you long for Intimacy, Rest & Security? If so, find Grace, rooted in your deepest need to be Loved, which goes hand in hand with your deepest need to be forgiven and accepted as you are, for who you are, for the life you've been created to live (a list 2 life).
Some guidelines in finding Grace;
- You can't find it, because it finds you, but you'll know you've got it, when it runs so deep that you also know you'll never lose it. I am refering here to the depths of a born again spirit, the only available channel with which man is able to connect, understand and be refreshed by the Spirit of God. (1 Cor 2:11-12)
- You not only sleep, you rest... you have peace which surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7) and makes you lie down in green pastures and leads you beside still waters (Psalm 23).
- And finally, you've stopped worrying, because when Jesus became your brother (Romans 8:29) you stepped into the inheritance of your Father in heaven, who provides for your every need (Matthew 6:33) and protects you from your enemies (Psalm 139:5).
So there you have it... The heavenly and eternal virtues of Love, Faith & Hope... Given to inspire and guide the earthly and priceless practices of Vision, Guts and Grace... That we in turn might live in the fullness of a life defined by and filled with:
- Purpose
- Passion
- Intimacy
- Celebration
- Rest
- Courage
- Security
- Commitment
- and Victory
In closing I want to assure you, that I have not written this as a 'pep' talk for those of us needing a little end of year motivation and encouragement. I have written this as a roadmap for fundamentally shifting your perspective and experience of this life in line with the life God had in mind for you when He created you. And that makes all the difference!
I call heaven and earth to witness before you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life (list 2!), that you and your offspring may live (forever).
- Deuteronomy 30:19
- Vision
- Man in the Mirror - by Pat Morley (for men)
- Captivated - by Stasi Eldredge (for woman)
- Guts
- Any autobiography of any person in history used by God
- Grace
- Any books or teachings on cheap grace
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