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Redefining Expectations

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Life – Expectations vs. Reality

In our Wisdom-Trek note for today, we want to explore the difference between the expectations and realities of life. Using the analogy of a mountainous hiking trip, when you start out the trail is smooth and wide, you likely think, “Wow! This is going to be easy.” In the same manner, as we start into adulthood we know so much about life we feel that we have it all together, and our parents and older associates have missed the boat somehow.

We plan out our lives with dreams and ambitions, and we feel that the road to success will be typically smooth. Then we get busy living life, and the years just rush by. Before you know it, you are in your 50s and 60s and you wonder, “What just happened?”

If you have not reached that point in your life yet, realize that it will also happen to you and be prepared for life’s mountains and valleys and the trail’s twist and turns. No matter what age you are or what season of life you are in, it is never too late to remember to enjoy and celebrate life each day, regardless of how rough the path is. This is what makes life worthwhile.

Let’s look at what the wisest man who ever lived had to say about life. This was King Solomon, who was the king of all Israel from approximately 970 – 931 BC. Toward the latter years of his reign, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and saw life from this perspective. In Chapter 1:8-9 he wrote, “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”

So we see that life is full of unexpected results, especially when our desire and pursuit is for more stuff.

Solomon also wrote in Chapter 2:24-26, “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him.”

These are choices that we need to make early and often in life. Yes, work hard and succeed in whatever you are called to do, but take time to enjoy it.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I am all for planning and dreaming, I always have many ideas and plans in my head, written down, and in some measure of completion. But, I also understand that the road to success is rarely smooth, and the trails of life are strewn with obstacles.

When we realize this and plan accordingly, then we can set up expectations accordingly. This is one way that we grow in wisdom. Learning the art of managing expectations for ourselves and others is a key element in success and happiness in life.

As we look back on the trails of life that we have traveled so far or if we look forward to the mountains and valleys that are in our future, we need to realize that this is the stuff that life is made of. We don’t need to give up during the difficult times because we are prepared for them, we expect them, and we should even desire them because growth happens when life does not go according to plan.

Christine Haussler said it well, “You gotta wonder why we cling to our expectations when it’s the unexpected that truly changes our lives.”

Regardless of how difficult the realities of life are, especially in light of our expectations, we would do well to follow the exhortation of the letter that was written to Hebrew Christians that were struggling with the realities of life during the 1st century AD. In chapter 12:1-2, we read, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

As this scripture points out, let us encourage and assist each other to deal with and embrace the realities of life. In doing so, we will grow in wisdom and create a living legacy.

Facing Adversity

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Lessons from an Airplane

When I first started flying lessons many years ago, I was introduced to a concept that seemed counter-intuitive, which is you always take off and land heading into the wind. I thought, wouldn’t a pilot have an easier time if the wind were coming from behind the aircraft giving it a push, so to speak, instead of rushing into a strong wind?

The key to taking off into the wind is the concept of lift. The more wind that passes over the wing of the plane will allow the plane to lift off the ground sooner. In short, pilots like to take off into a headwind because it helps them achieve “wheels up” faster. A jetliner like a Boeing 747, needs at least 150 mph of airspeed to become airborne. Without wind, the plane has to accelerate to a groundspeed of 180 mph to lift off, but when you have a 30 mph headwind, the plane only has to accelerate to 150 mph, thanks to the extra boost it gets from the headwind.

Even a small plane, like the Cessna 172, which I flew, would benefit from the oncoming wind. The small planes can fly at extremely slow speeds, so a little headwind while taking off certainly allows the plane to achieve lift sooner.

Landing into the wind is also very crucial in aiding the airplane to slow its decent while maintaining adequate lift to keep it afloat until touch down. If you can slow your speed while descending at the proper rate, it will provide a shorter roll out once you are on the runway.

As an aviation saying goes, “The three most worthless things to a pilot are: the sky above you, the runway behind you, and the fuel you left at the hanger.”

As with life, the wind won’t always blow exactly in the direction that is needed for taking off or landing, which is why most airports with more than one runway will have a runway that crosses the other, so there are alternative options. Even with that, good pilot training consists of taking off and landing in crosswinds also. Just like the Boy Scout motto reminds us, one must “Always be prepared.”

Once you are airborne and at the right altitude, it is best if you can have the wind at your tail pushing you forward much faster than your calculated ground speed. All of these factors have to be calculated ahead of time. There is nothing worse than running short on fuel before you reach your intended destination.

There are many other factors that also need to be considered when flying, such as air-pressure and how it changes with temperatures. We do not have the time to get into the physics around the entire concept of flying, but as a pilot, it is good to have a working knowledge of this information.

Now that we understand, at least a little why it is best to take off and land into the winds, let us consider how that correlates to our trek of life. Most of us would like to “go with the flow,” to have the wind at our backs, and to have some external force drive us on to a life of ease and success. Well, sorry to break the news to you, but that is not how life is for most of us on most days.

This does not mean that we can’t have a rich and satisfying life because it is more about how we interpret and handle the headwinds of life that makes the difference. Sometimes the wind in our lives is a result of the storms that we have created by the choices that we have made. Other times we have no control over the wind that is buffeting against us.

Regardless of that, from this point forward, we can take personal responsibility for how we handle or react to the heavy wind. We may not be able to change the circumstances any more than we can change the direction of the wind, but we can change ourselves or at least our attitudes. That is something that we have control over.

As Winston Churchill put it, “Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”

The next time you are on a hike, consider that the most resilient trees are those that have grown where the winds are strongest. As they grow, the very fiber of their being is strengthened to withstand the forces of the wind.

Heavy winds in our lives should not be rejected, but welcomed. Just as those winds allow an airplane to take off to new heights, so the headwinds of life will allow us to rise above and strengthen the very fiber of who we are.

We should be full of joy because those winds will allow us to grow, gain endurance, and wisdom. This will allow us to be complete within ourselves, lacking nothing. This brings to mind a paragraph from the letter written to Jewish believers by James, the half-brother of Christ. The Jews had been scattered due to persecution, and James encouraged them with these words,

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”

Well, there is not much more that I could say about this passage. It is to the point. Now, if I could only learn to put it into practice fully in my own life in every situation. That is my goal.

So as we wrap up our trek for today, I will end with a quote from Henry Ford, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it …”

The Value of a Checklist

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Benefits of Using a Checklist

If we decided to set out on a long and difficult trek, such as hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, which runs from Katahdin Maine down to Springer Mountain in Georgia, one of the first items that would be required is a complete checklist. What would be on our checklist?

While I have never hiked anywhere close to that long or difficult of a trail, I have read several articles and watched documentaries from those who have hiked all or part of it. The checklist is extensive, and if you are not prepared, the hike can be very dangerous.

Completing the entire 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one trip is a mammoth undertaking, which can take five months or more. It requires great determination and commitment, but can potentially be accomplished by anyone with the ability to walk. That’s not to say hiking it is easy. The footpath of the Appalachian Trail is far more rugged than most anticipate, given the soft and gentle profiles of the mountains and relatively low elevations.

Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike, but only about one in four makes it all the way. Who knows, I may attempt a thru-hike at some point.

As it is with our trek of life, first we need to have a good understanding of where we are heading and why. We then need to have a plan for how we are going to travel towards our destination. In the weekly newsletter that I sent out on November 28th, I referred to the importance and differences between the Compass and the Clock. Both are a crucial part in navigation on a long trek.

Each of us should have a set of guidelines or a code that we live by. This will establish our baseline for the decisions that we need to make each day. While we may not see a lot of progress made on certain days, it does not take too long to realize that the days string together quickly. If we don’t have a set of guidelines, or as it were, a checklist, then we will stumble blindly on, never ending up where we desire to be.

You may establish your guidelines or checklist on a different moral code than I do, but we all have a compass that gives us direction. If your compass is not functioning and not pointing to your true north, then it will show up in a lack of integrity and commitment.

My personal moral compass is the Bible, which I consider to be God’s Word. It has been my guide throughout life. Just as in hiking, there is a checklist for every leg of the hike. I consider God’s Word to be a complete checklist for my life. I am not referring to a legalistic rigid set of “rules” that I must follow, but through the spirit of living in such a way that my manner of life and integrity stands true in all areas of life.

The most famous checklist of all time and the basis for most civilized governments is referred to as the Ten Commandments. It sets the moral standard for how we should conduct ourselves in every situation. My paraphrased version of Exodus 20:1-17 is:

  • There is only one God – and He comes first.
  • Worship only God.
  • Don’t misuse God’s name.
  • Set aside one day a week for rest – it is holy.
  • Honor your parents = long life.
  • Don’t murder.
  • Don’t cheat on your spouse.
  • Don’t steal.
  • Don’t lie about your neighbors.
  • Don’t desire what is not yours to have.

All of the laws that were set up in the Old Testament of the Bible were to show how far short we fall from being God ourselves. It is not possible for us to achieve that standard. Fortunately, we do not have a long checklist that we need to follow for each day of our lives. In fact, it is quite short, and yet covers all that we need. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus put it this way, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

In other words, the Bible can be summed up in these two commands.  Love God, love others…nothing more, nothing less.

What is your checklist for life? Can you articulate it, and do you follow it each day? Let us make sure that our moral compass points to true north, that our destination is known, and that each day of our trek of life is lived with integrity. This will ensure a sure footing regardless of how rough the terrain may be.

For a copy of my checklist for living a successful life, click here.

Life at the Speed of Average

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Average Speed, Incredible Results

As we begin this new year, we have over 360 days ahead of us. So many people like to rush into the new year and attempt to accomplish everything at once. While this is exciting and enticing, it is also why so many people quickly burn out and abandon their resolutions and goals.

Many people have asked me, how do you keep up with a daily podcast along with your other responsibilities? I have to admit, it was not always easy, but, for now, I am committed to a five day per week podcast. It takes being consistently persistent in the small things of life to achieve what appears to be great results. You can even move a mountain one stone at a time, as long as you are consistently persistent for a very long period of time.

I certainly have no extraordinary abilities or talents. I am a fairly average person but have a desire and drive and choose to move one stone at a time from the mountains that stand in front of me. You too can be average and still be a mountain mover. Let’s look at what can be accomplished even if you feel that you are considered average.

I was an average student who grew up very poor on an apple orchard. I did not allow being “average” hold me back.  Through being consistently persistent, I have written nearly 1 million words within the daily journals in preparation for the podcast over the past 19 months. At initial glance, it does look like a huge undertaking, but it was accomplished by writing a few pages each day consistently.

Due to the nature of our consulting work and other projects, I do not have the luxury to hide away in a remote location and write, record, edit, and publish the daily podcast and journals in batches, but like our trek of life, I take it one day at a time. It reminds me of a little booklet that I read many years ago called “Little Is Much When God Is In It.” The premise of the book is to be faithful in the small everyday tasks, and you will be able to accomplish much. It’s okay to be average as long as you are faithful and consistently persistent in the small tasks of life.

This concept holds true for all areas of your life. For example, anyone can feel a burst of inspiration, head to the gym, and push themselves really hard for a single workout. That’s maximum speed but will produce little result long-term. Instead, what if you had a slower paced workout, but averaged 4 days per week in the last month? How about the last three months? Or the last year? What has your average speed been? Your long-term results will be much greater if you are consistent over an extended period of time, even if each day did not include an intense workout.

This principle holds true for your work habits, your eating habits, your relationship habits, and virtually every other area of your life. Here’s the surprising thing about average speed…It doesn’t take very long for average speed to produce incredible results.

So often we waste our time and energy thinking that we need a monumental effort to achieve anything significant. We tell ourselves that we need to get amped up on motivation and desire. We think that we need to work harder than everyone else. While I am all for continual improvement, it does not take herculean efforts to see huge results over a long period of time.

The natural question that follows from all of this is, “How do I increase my average speed?” Last year I read an article written by blogger James Clear where he wrote “Habit Graduation: How to Increase Your Average Speed.” In other words, graduating from your current habit level to one level higher. Basically, habit graduation is about increasing your average speed.

Here are some examples…

  • If your average speed is eating three healthy meals per week, can you “graduate” that to one healthy meal per day?
  • If your average speed is exercising once per week, can you “graduate” that to twice per week?
  • If your average speed is to only read spiritual or inspirational materials once per week, can you “graduate” to three times per week?

We all have an average speed when it comes to our habits. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, that average speed might be much slower than we’d like. The truth is, anyone can get motivated and push themselves for one day, but very few people maintain a consistent effort every week without fail.

In your health, your work, and your life, it doesn’t require a massive effort to achieve incredible results — just being consistently persistent over a period of time.

This reminds me of the parable from Matthew 25:20-21, “The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise. ‘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!”

Remember in your life if you are consistently persistent even at an average speed, you can move mountains. Let us work on increasing our average speed gradually at the same time.

Love At Christmas

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A Story of Christmas Love

Today let’s explore the ultimate gift, which is God’s gift to us – salvation through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating. Today we are exploring the first part of our story.

How do you measure the value of a present? How do you judge its worth? By its size, or by its weight? Do you judge it by its cost, or perhaps by its usefulness?

Let’s examine God’s present to us. It was wrapped up in strips of clothes instead for fancy foil paper. It was laid in a smelly feeding bin, and not placed neatly under a scented pine tree. Regardless of these humble beginnings, God’s gift is the most important gift we will ever receive. It is a gift that we can share with everyone and yet retain it for ourselves.

Let us examine God’s Word in 1 John 4:9-11, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

How do you measure the value of God’s gift to you? I would suggest three ways.

1. God’s gift to you is measured by its usefulness.

What is the usefulness of His gift to us? Notice the usefulness of the gift in verse 9 above, “…so that we might have eternal life through him.”

Jesus said it this way in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

What a promise that is! Not just life, not just existence, but a life that means something–a life that has worth, a rich, full, and satisfying life. A life with a purpose. A life that has value. A life with meaning. A life that will have eternal consequences and benefits.

Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

FACT: You are here for the glory of God.

Your purpose is to live a life that magnifies the Lord, to encourage and support fellow Christians, to become more like Christ, to use your gifts and talents in helping others, and to tell those who don’t know Jesus that there is Good News. Your purpose is to bring glory to God in all you do and say. And when all is said and done, you should long to hear the words written in Matthew 25:21, “The master was full of praise. ‘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!’”

God says you have brought me glory. You have enlarged the kingdom of God. You have done well. God’s gift of salvation to us is useful. It gives us meaning and value. Our purpose is to bring glory to God.

Because of God’s love for us, He has provided the best Christmas gift to us–a rich and satisfying life on earth and a life for all eternity. God, through Jesus Christ, took on human flesh and dwelt among His creation so that He could redeem us. This Christmas take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God.

2. God’s gift to you is measured by its cost.

As we serve such a loving and Holy God, we are to give Him our best. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He doesn’t want cheap stuff. He wants the best you and I can give Him. Remember the story of the wise men when I referenced how King David insisted on paying the price for his offerings in 2 Samuel 24:24, “But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.’ So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.”

David said if he was going to give a sacrifice to the Lord he was going to give his best – something of value, something of worth. Why would David say that? Because that is what God has done for us. He has given us the most precious gift He could possibly give–something of worth, something of value, something that is one of a kind. He gave us His son.

Look at 1 John 4:10 again, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

God knew what had to be done. He knew what price had to be paid. He knew what it was going to cost Him, and He sent the best for you and me. He sent Jesus Christ–born as a child for the salvation of the world. If He gave that much to me, what should I give Him?

FACT: God’s gift to YOU is valuable.

3. God’s present to you is measured by its effectiveness.

If you get a toaster for Christmas, you expect it to be able to make toast. If you get a coffee machine, you expect it to make coffee. If you get a hair curler, you expect it to be able to curl hair. So the question that needs to be asked is “Is it effective? Does it do what it was intended to do?”

What is the love of God intended to do? CHANGE YOU.

Look at these three verses again in 1 John 4:9-11, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

To me, they seem almost like a mathematical formula. 1+1=2. See how it all adds up. God’s gift is useful PLUS God’s gift is valuable EQUALS we ought to love one another.

Verse 11 says this, “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

“Ought” sounds like a suggestion, but it’s not. It’s not just some suggestion that God is making to us. The Greek word for “ought” could be translated “must.” The root word actually means “to owe something.” You owe a payment. You are under obligation. You must pay it back! Let me restate the last part of verse 11 again.

…since God loved us that much, we MUST love each other.

Why? Because God is not done loving the world yet. He wants to keep loving the world–through you and through me. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Does God’s love change you? Does it affect your behavior? Does it affect the way you treat people? You see that is what love is intended to do. It doesn’t make toast. It doesn’t make coffee. It does not curl hair. It changes us into loving compassionate people who care for the needs of those who around us. God wants to love the world, but He has a desire to do through you. Are you willing to let God show His love through you?

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other,” 1 John 4:9-11.

FACT: We certainly MUST love each other.

Because of God’s love for us, He has provided the best Christmas gift to us–a rich and satisfying life on earth and a life for all eternity. God’s love is useful, God’s love is valuable, and God’s love is effective. This Christmas, take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us, and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God.