The Power of a Focused Life

My blog this week will take a different turn. I will return to my goal of healthy eating after I visit this new topic. Last summer I wanted to teach a Bible study and I asked my son, Luke, about ideas. He referred me to the International House of Prayer website. He suggested that I research the ideas on the Power of a Focused Life. I will share some things that I learned from a summer of research on this topic. First of all, we all need a life vision. In Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (KJV) “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.”( NIV) Your vision statement or life vision serves as a compass to keep things going in the right direction. It helps you measure your progress, set goals, establish priorities, and know when to use one of the most important words in your vocabulary: No Make a life vision! Look at this in different ways. Start by writing down a short paragraph that summarizes your life’s vision. Whatever you have already written down, revise at the end of this exercise. You may revise it several times. On my next blog, I will give you another way to grade your life vision and revise it, if necessary. Exercise I. What would you want those who knew you to say about you at the end of your life? These are 5 suggested categories of people in your life. I included what I put, as a starting point. Person: God Statement: Loved me with all her heart, soul, and mind. Trusted me. Lived radically. Servant. Was about doing my work. Enjoyed being in my presence. Had a heart of gratitude. Joyful heart. Wanted to please me more than man. Person: Mark, Ben and Luke and extended family Statement: prayed about everything, humble, not vain, servant, consistent- acted the same around everyone, lived as she taught, (these are the hardest ones –they know me too well) Person: coworkers Statement: Not a complainer, added joy to faculty, hardest worker, encourage my coworkers, Person: friends that you socialize with (if different from job) Statement: was not afraid to be different, not a conformist, loved the Lord, really knew the Lord and had a vibrant relationship with him Person: ministry (young adults at church) Statement: she lived in such a way that I could see how to be a lover of Christ, understood the importance of prayer and reading the Word, she inspired me to want to trust God with everything After you complete these (and I hope they will take a long time), look at your life vision. Do you have a better idea of your life vision? If you are still with me, I will give you a different exercise on my next blog.