HEART IN HAND

Heart in Hand initially developed as a means for the cdnglobalsoul  to stay connected with former students and friends who are spread around the globe. HIH began with the recognition that we are all on a journey and that each of us ultimately benefit when we travel together … sharing and supporting each other through the inevitable “thrills and spills” of life. These monthly meanderings capture what the cdnglobalsoul  is learning and are intended to foster conversation as we paint on the canvas of our soul. HIH is ultimately about encouraging us to become an artist of the soul and a friend to another in the journey.

(Continued from Front Page - HEART IN HAND - [pdf version at the bottom of the page]) As I travel the globe, I’m always on the lookout for people that are said to be "officially" retiring ... because I want to learn from them and their journeys. And what is intriguing is that as I have visited with them, I’ve been sobered by two realities: (1) first, by the frankness of our conversations and (2) second, how often these conversations reveal a "bruised spirit"or a"self-contained bitter spirit" that seems to have latched to their souls at some point in their lives and have taken root in their spirits. The frequency of this discovery got me to wondering about the correlation between finishing well and the importance of dealing with bitterness. It also become a reminder of the likely reason my parents often cautioned us as kids to tend to our souls and be quick to address any issues that might spawn a bitter or negative spirit within. An admonition, that once we entered ministry was captured in the often used refrain … take care of your spirit, lest your outlook on life and service for God should sour as it lengthens. A caution clearly underscored by the writer of Hebrews where we are to: "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (12:15 NIV). The overwhelming correlation between NOT "finishing well" and a "root of bitterness" set my mind to wondering.

So there amid the beauty of the Lake Louise Rockies I began reflecting over past conversations and the lives of people that (from my vantage point) appeared to have been intentional about life and finished well. Interestingly, as I unpacked their lives I was drawn to the fact that for an overwhelming majority, the critical element to finishing well had little to do with their financial success, their choice of a place for retirement or even the level of status they had achieved throughout the course of their lives. In fact, finishing well appears to have more to do with the kinds of habits engendered throughout the course of life that produce a kind of character, personality, and a style of being that shapes their life and dominates their personality right through the waning years. It’s the kind of "God oriented stuff" that is appropriated long before the "finishing years" arrive.

So if you allow me this notion; that finishing well starts early and is the sum of our Spirit shaped, God oriented lives … then my proposition is simply this; that it is never too early to begin to think about finishing well. An if that is the case, then you and I should be on a lifelong intentional quest to discover the kinds of habits, values or principles that people who finish well incorporate in their lives.

You have likely heard some presentation down through the years underscoring the fact that one-third (1/3rd) of all biblical characters did NOT finish well. Moses never got to the promise land; Samson started well, but finished poorly. So too did Saul and Solomon. Caleb finished well (Joshua 14:12-15). So what are some habits, values or principles that characterize those who finish well? Here are a number of observations from the list that I began to compile over the Christmas break. A list derived from my interaction with people that either finished well or are in the process of finishing well.

1. Surround themselves in the journey of life with “faithful friends” – When my father had his heart attack I found myself responsible for keeping my parents friends apprised of his development. And through the process I saw first-hand the importance of having nurturing faithful friends over the course of a life. Faithful friends are those significant people with whom we journey all or portions of our lives. Individuals with whom we forge a deep bond through the joys and struggles of “doing life.” The essence of these relationships is captured in Ecclesiastes where we are reminded that … “You are better off to have a friend than to be alone .... If you fall your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble” (4:9-10 CEV). Proverbs further acknowledges the value of friends: “Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (27:6) and “As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend” (27:17).

Nurturing faithful friends is crucial to our ongoing development because all of us need individuals with whom we can bare our souls; share our dreams; reveal our secrets and confess our fears, failures and sins. Furthermore, each of us increases our opportunity of developing God oriented lives by associating ourselves with other “God oriented” people. All of us are affected by the friendships we keep. Scripture reminds us that those “…wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools” (Pr. 13:20 CEV). Scripture repeatedly underscore the importance of nurturing healthy relationships with faithful friends. The Apostle Paul had a number of faithful friends who helped him “do life”... that seemed to kept him grounded, refreshed and feeding his soul.

2. Understand their spiritual standing in Christ and  seek to live Spirit infused Christ-centered lives. – Another interesting insight from my conversations with people, is that those that finish well appear to evidence a healthy awareness of their standing before God. They seem to understand how their life fits in the grand scheme of God’s overarching purposes; a refreshing honesty about their own frailties in light of God’s overwhelming grace in their lives. They reflect the same kind of honesty evident in the life of the apostle Paul, one who I would suggest finished well. In fact I was struck by the fact that many of those who finish well appear to mirror the kinds of insights that we find expressed by the Apostle Paul in Phil 3:12-14.

1. First, like Paul, they are honest about not having it together. Check out verse 12 … Paul concedes to his listeners that he has human frailties and that he has not “... reached perfection!” In other words, he wanted people to know that as a Jesus follower he was on a journey and that there was stuff, that with the help of God, he was still dealing with. 2. Second, given his flaws, he wanted others to know what was all-important to him. He acknowledge that on this journey he was still working at trying to get it right “... I keep working toward the day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.” 3. Then they, like Paul, might pause and do a little more honest reflecting and say something like; the truth is folks “ ... I’m still not all I should be ....” There is stuff in my life that I know doesn’t measure up to God’s intentions for my life. But by God’s grace I’m working on it. 4. Then fourth, he would tell you of his radical decision in light of many of the ongoing challenges in his life... one significant challenge being ... that his past is always wanting to interfere with his goal. So as a result, he’d tell you that he has had to learn to forget “what is behind ... and focus  all [his] energies on this one thing ...” 5. and then he’d begin to draw his little testimonial to a close by fleshing out what that one thing is (his goal) and say something like; given this reality, I strain “... towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” In other words, he’d tell us that he is sold out, that following Jesus is well worth it ... so much so, that he is not holding anything back so that he can pursue that primary agenda, 6. Then almost as an afterthought and recognizing that his testimonial might be useful to others, he’d conclude his little testimonial by saying something like, by the way, “... all of us who are mature should take such a view of things ....” That is all of us who want to follow and serve God should live the same way.

So what does all this mean to us? Well I can’t help but think that in the mind of the Apostle, a person on the journey toward finishing well is a person sentivite to the lordship of Christ and the fullness of His Spirit. They are individuals who allow the Spirit to consistently (emphasis on consistently as opposed to intermittently or perfectly) have His way in their lives ... as a settled fact. That when this reality is deeply engrained within, they have similar testimonies as the Apostle Paul. That is, their lives reflect the intent of these five elements expressed  in Phil. 3:12-14.   

Many of the folks I interviewed who finished well or who are in the process of finishing well, had or have a similar all consuming focus. The kind focus that happens during those days of “being in love”... when it seems that no matter what we were doing we were constantly thinking about that other person. Well, they, like the Paul would say, that’s the kind of preoccupation we need to have in the journey of honoring God and finishing well … a pressing on, a straining toward a Spirit infused Godward life.

3. Live life with eternity in mind yet fully engaged in the present. Many of the folks I talked to seemed to also have a firm grasp of the big picture while not trivializing the realities of the “here” and “now.” Essentially they are people who have learned to be content in whatever circumstance they found themselves in throughout the course of their lives.

Jessie was a diminutive little lady who, at the time of her death, had been widowed for more years than DJ and I had been married. As I reflected on her life I realized that her legacy wouldn’t likely be written up in any of the significant histories of the church. Yet Jessie is representative of so many godly ladies down through the centuries that quietly went about making a significant contribution to the kingdom in various corners of His world.

A characteristic of Jessie’s life is that she lived life with passion yet with eternity constantly in view. Only two kids… both became missionaries! I once asked her “… are you ever disappointed with God that you did not get to live around your kids and grand kids much during bulk of your adult years? “Oh my no,” she responded “…I did not need my kids around when I was younger, but now when I do need them (by now she was in her 90s) God allowed them to be around. Besides, I’m looking forward to getting to heaven to see all those people that they worked with in Indonesia and Latin America.” Not a shy person, I imagine she’s made the rounds by now, introducing herself to many of her daughters’ Latin American and sons’ Indonesians friends.

Simply put, Jessie understood life as a continuum that extended well beyond her time on earth … it began here but extended well into eternity. She firmly believed that Christ makes up for any deficit! There was no dichotomy with this lady, no excluded middle, the “now” and “there,” the spiritual and material were integrated. Gardening (she had a huge garden) and talking to God were a natural occurrence and a daily reality of life! (Much like Brother Lawrence in his little book Practicing the Presence of God.) Underscoring this integrated worldview was her consistent time alone with God (Mk 1:35). Jessie discovered the power of the words of Jesus … that we do not “… live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). At age 97, her memory starting to slip a bit, she told me: “Sometimes I can’t remember if I’ve had my quiet time today … all I know is that when scripture goes in one ear and comes out the other… somehow it cleanses my mind and I feel better.” After visiting with her one day and as I was leaving she called me back with this reminder:  “Remember your quiet time, you know, you’re not much without it.”  Over the course of her life, Jessie discovered the importance of time alone with God. It’s what enabled her to abide in God by faith in moments of failure and success, in times of sadness and joy, in seasons of confusion and confidence.

Jessie was my grandmother. She lived 38 days beyond her 100th birthday. Like so many who finish well, she was fully here, lived life to the max and finished well. 

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
2009-02 Gift of Knowing	God knowing ... how do we know?	128 Kb
2010-01 Rocking Chair	On finishing well!	203 Kb