As you begin a new year, you may be painfully aware of how you failed to achieve some or all of your 2021 goals. Whether you formalized the goals or just held them vaguely in your consciousness, such lookbacks can be depressing and dispiriting.
Henry Blackaby, in his devotional Experiencing God Day by Day, provided great insight into the resolutions and failures situation.
Peter, in the Biblical description of his fleeing with the other disciples from the Garden of Gethsemane — then publicly denying he even knew Jesus — was unfaithful to Jesus in His most crucial hour. And upon later recognizing this, he was dejected.
But we can learn so much from how Jesus handled Peter’s failure. He restored him — he did not humiliate him, criticize him or ask him to make a resolution to “try harder”.
Instead, Jesus took Peter aside and led him to examine his love for Him, which Peter did repeatedly affirm. And Jesus reaffirmed God’s will for Peter. As Blackaby pointed out — if you truly love Him, you will obey Him. Thus, your service for him in the new year will be of the quality that He desires.
As I pondered these points in my Journey Well: Heart, Body & Soul business, I was applying this lesson to my role as a guide or coach in the three areas of concentration or focus.
In my Heart area of focus, I have a course to help people do their Life Story. As I worked on mine, I came across this family picture of my great-grandmother’s 80th birthday. Blackaby’s lesson came to mind.
I adored my G.G. (that’s what we called her) — as a young girl, I would not have been able to explain “why” — I just knew I absolutely loved being with her. You can see in this picture how I made sure I was right next to her. As I look back – it all fits the lesson Jesus demonstrated with Peter.
Looking at this picture, that special feeling floods over me and I can now describe the “why”. Whenever I was in her presence, she focused fully on me as she listened to whatever I shared and totally made me feel so very special. And I was shy and unsure of myself during those grade school years.
She never criticized or judged or indicated any disapproval — in fact, she would respond with delight to whatever I shared and totally engage with me about it. I just knew she understood me and cared about me and valued me.
My childhood memory is that she was bedridden and always working on a quilt or similar handwork project (while watching “Jeopardy” or “the $64,000 Question” on TV). I remember asking how she was making a “puff” quilt she was doing. She patiently showed me how she made the pleats in the squares, put cotton inside, etc. She followed my level of interest and understanding perfectly. I just knew she was the smartest, wisest person I had ever known.
And her letters! It was exciting to get mail addressed to just me — she wrote short little poems at the end of each one. And she made it fit just me. I still have some of these.
I truly loved her and would have done anything for her. I would never have wanted to fail her or displease her in any way. I think about the Biblical story of how the Lord handled Peter’s failure and restoration — I compare that to how I felt with G.G .
As an adult, in my genealogical searches, I learned that she was one of three in the first graduating class of the now Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, in 1895 (at the age of 20); later, she was a charter member of the Woman’s Missionary Union; was active in her church as a teacher and in her obituary was described as “prominent” in that community’s civic, social and church affairs.
Her accomplishments were never on display — instead, her gentle and humble guidance and interaction with us, her great-grandchildren, was life-impacting for me in a way I doubt she ever realized.
The Heart area in my Journey Well business encompasses the sharing and preserving of the photos and stories which shape our life attitudes and outlook. My G.G. is a formative part of my Life Story.
My desire to be a Godly coach or guide in this area has been further fueled by the recent fires in the Superior and Louisville neighborhoods. Did it have the same effect on you as it did me? A flash of recognition how, in an instant, all the worldly possessions in your home can be reduced to a pile of ashes.
I am determined to be a sherpa-guide to others — inspiring and leading them to not only “share” their Life Story but to preserve it from fire, computer-failure or other loss over coming decades.
Have you written and preserved your Life Story? Get ready to join me on that Journey !
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