Concluding Contemplations

As I relax after a long semester,
I reflect back on important lessons I learned.

Ahhhhh..... *sigh*


   Today, I finished my last class for the semester. I am done with my junior year at the Moody Bible Institute. I am looking forward to the summer, but before I jump ahead to getting excited for the summer, I am reflecting back on this semester. I have learned some really important things, and the funny thing is that none of them were from the classroom.


   1. Get to know important people. There are people in your life who are going to invest in you. And there are people in your life who you are meant to invest in. These people are really, really important. Get to know them well. There have been awesome people who have poured themselves into me this semester. they have been so valuable to me, and I praise God that I got to know them really well. Also, there are people I continually strive to pour myself into. If I didn't have people like them, I would not be the man I am right now. God uses them to continually sanctify me.


   2. Be a pitcher, not a bowl. Pitchers are meant to pour their contents into other things. Bowls are just meant to hold what has been poured into them. Do not keep what you learn to yourself. Unless you pour it out for the benefit of others, it will just get stagnant and spoiled.


   3. People are like clocks. In order to empower them to do what they were meant to do, you have to know what makes them tick. I have been learning that in leadership, it is crucial to really see who people are and read them appropriately. When you do that, you can speak to them where they are and call them to something higher.


   4. Push yourself (but not off the cliff!). There is a certain level of excellence that you must strive to attain. You know what it is. I don't have to explain it. But you must never get to the place where you worship that standard. It isn't about achieving the standard; it is about learning and growing. If you push yourself too far, you will crash and burn. Know your best, and expect that.

Life is less about the destination,
and more about drive. 

   5. Drive the speed limit! In a literal way, yes, this is very true. It is something that continues to reveal my level of sanctification. But I am thinking more about life. Life has a speed limit. You can't go faster in life than time allows. Learn how to slow down and enjoy the journey. Life is less about the destination, and more about drive. Life is less like a freeway, and more like a country road. There is scenery to be seen, smells to be smelled, people to drive with, and so on. Slow down and enjoy the ride!