It’s my Birthday too, ya!
On this day of celebration, I see just how much things have changed, despite those things that stay the same.
Here I sit, finally completing a thought, putting my inspiration of spirit into a glom of words, to share with you. Looking in my “drafts” folder, I can count no less than 6 posts that are incomplete. I have 3 personal development projects sitting incomplete, including the BibleCounts.com site. I have a couple of stagnant home improvement projects waiting for me. All of them sit until I have “FREE TIME”. That’s the time between work, and familial obligations; rest and fervent haste to complete something or be somewhere.
I can’t help but do a comparison, a spiritual inventory if you will. On this, my 40th birthday, I can not help but compare my current incarnation of life to the life I had 10 years ago. In doing so, today I share 10 years of wisdom and life experience in this short burst of reflection.
10 years ago, I was on a climb into my financial and career peak. I had just finished building my dream house, the pool addition completed and planning to share my success with my friends. At least for the weekend. I was a few million richer, three companies busier, and about 45 pounds lighter. There were a complete lack of grey hairs and no short of those catering to my every whim.
At least, that was what the world saw and promoted as my success, poisoned my spirit, my heart and my home.
10 years ago, I was in a failing marriage, and truly disliked the presence of my family, even my extended family. I was so focused on what I could achieve that those people I should have cherished most, were looked at as stumbling blocks. I ‘didn’t have time’ for them. I had too many projects to complete, deadlines to meet, contracts to sign, and people to impress. I applauded the idea of having “separate lives” from my spouse, pushing her to find friends and companions that could fill the absence of her husband with activity and stimulating conversation.
10 years ago, I spouted intellectually convenient concepts, like ‘the unity of world religions’, ‘personal (subjective) truth’, ‘the power of self (the inner god)’, the acceptance of MY place in the new world order, and the misguided observation that ‘no one person can fulfill another’s emotional needs’. All of these a smoke screen for the death and decay that wreaked from my soul. A distraction to the sin and my failure as a husband, leader, and someday father.
————- ————- ————- ————- ————-
Today, on the anniversary of my 40th year of life outside the womb, I can tell you that I have been there, I have definitely done that. I can tell you that NONE of it is worth anything, without a relationship with Jesus. Not one bit of it matters if His life, the life of Jesus of Nazareth, is not lived out through us.
When we stop fighting Him and accept the Son of God as our Savior, then – and only then, does life happen. Only then does our soul come alive(v) and truly feed us with the desire, and ability to create better, live better, by loving better(v). Only when we submit our will to Jesus as Lord over us; living out His will and wisdom through our actions, do we see the TRUE power of self, as he indwells in us and shines the power of God the Father through us(v). Only when we give ourselves over to Jesus’s way do we recognize the reality that truth can ONLY be OBJECTIVE(v) and unchanging, not subjective and floppy. That Truth informs us that “…no other path leads to God the Father”(v), and that Jesus understands and fulfills every need and desire(v). When we give our way, over for His way, we finally find out that God has a plan for each and every one of us, if we would only listen to it. He has plans to prosper us.(v) This God, the author of creation and salvation, the Holy Father, saw our failures before time began and sent Jesus to lead us back to a relationship with God.
Jesus Christ was born fully man and completely imbued with His godhood, but chose to forsake that power to live, love, and teach us how to overcome as a mere mortal, so that we would know the True Power of the Father. Jesus was tempted as a man and overcame with SCRIPTURE and faith in the power of the Spirit of God. Jesus was beaten and tortured by man, forsaken at the moment of His mortal death, and sent into the depths of Hell. Jesus was FULLY AWARE that this would take place before and CHOSE to suffer, die, and be separated from God the Father, in order to pay the ultimate price for OUR failings, our sin, our stubborn willful disobedience. In paying that price Jesus removed the vale, the separation between God and man by covering our sin with His (Jesus) righteousness. The only condition? Acceptance of that gift, repentance of our old sinful path and acceptance of Christ as our Savior.
Don’t forget that Jesus conquered sin, conquered death and conquered hell and the enemy itself. Christ Lives and He calls to us, to choose Him, each and every day. We all can choose to have a life of fulfilling love. We all can choose to look past this world towards the new life in Christ and a complete relationship with and for the Father.
What has 40 years taught me?
Life doesn’t need to be so hard..
Just Ask _-= Jesus =-_
May God Bless you and Keep you all on this day. Celebrate this anniversary of life with me, at your workplace, in your homes, with your friends and families. Celebrate by being Caleb Strong and leading the way to Christ in our homes, workplaces, and churches.
I am so very blessed…
…Amen…
May Jesus have His way with your day
He is Founder and consultant for Tek Management,
Founder of the Men’s Leadership site: CalebStrong.org,
Co-Founder of the online Bible study app: BibleCounts
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