“Looking after your personal interests is proper life management. Doing so to the exclusion of the rest of the world is selfishness.” – Max Lucado
If you’re like me, you blinked and 2017 is halfway over! Last year a colleague inspired me with her approach to New Year’s Resolutions—she checks in on her progress midyear and recalibrates her goals and strategies.
Reviewing my list recently, I noticed a lot of action steps, big ideas, and exciting projects.
What was lacking?
Plans for nurturing empathy, practicing selflessness, and studying Scripture.
It’s easy to presume those traits and habits will just come from a good and Christian life. But worthwhile things never “just come”—unlike those pesky weeds in the front yard! Creating the system and the space to develop and practice is necessary. And in our frantic culture, it’s easy to squeeze every ounce of space from our lives, leaving no room for growth. That’s where I was. That’s where many of your listeners are.
Where from here?
I’m reprioritizing some of my “2017 Goals” list—based on insight from Max Lucado. Max has a beautiful way of blending encouragement with conviction, exhortation with reassurance, and Scripture with application. He reminds listeners that, even as the world swirls around us, we don’t have to. We have the hope and peace of Christ and are called to reflect Him in everything we do.
There are several recent editions of Max’s daily feature, UpWords, which spoke profoundly to my soul—and I think they might to yours, as well. If you know someone who needs a reminder of the grace they’ve received and are charged to pass on, please share these links with them.
Tweetable Max Lucado Quotes
“You have a ticket to heaven no thief can take, an eternal home no divorce can break.” (Tweet it!)
“Want to love others as Christ has loved you? Take note of the last, the lost, the little, and the left out.” (Tweet it!)
“When others reject you, let God accept you.” (Tweet it!)
What are your goals and dreams for the remaining six months of 2017? I’d love to hear—drop a comment below!
