Intentional Change

Not being one to make New Year's resolutions I do contemplate each month what I want to change about myself.  It takes at least thirty days to form a habit, and so I am intentional about finding an area for improvement and growth, and concentrating on that for a month until I have formed the habits I believe will help me be more successful.  With each change, I also write a mantra, a motto for the month.

January's mantra is simple.  Gratitude is the attitude that brings altitude to my life.  When Harvard University was founded Harvard’s requirements declared:  “Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus which is eternal life, John 17:3, and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.”  I believe that all foundational wisdom can be discovered in the Bible, and so I began to search for the foundation verses for helping me change, and found them in I Thessalonians 5:12-24.

"But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (NASB)

How do I use this foundational material to help me change?  My goal is to memorize these verses and repeat them every day, and every time I get frustrated because I want to control things.  God is in control, not me.  I must value those around me, because I cannot inspire anyone that I don't value, nor can I be inspired by anyone I do not value.  Joy is something God has given me, a wonderful gift, and I can experience it if I value every experience, both the good and the bad!  Staying connected to the Lord in prayer is paramount to any change, and being thankful will keep my attitude where it needs to be to achieve altitude.  My focus must be the Lord Jesus, and I must turn to Him every time I feel frustrated because I want to control things, rather than allowing Him to have control.  He has set me apart for His service and He is faithful!

At the end of each day I jot down a record of how I feel I performed in keeping Him as my focus, where I failed, and where I succeeded.  I will journal weekly, from those jots, to remind myself what I need to improve, and giving myself a pat on the back for my successes.  But all of that is useless if I don't share it.  There is power in sharing my journey, both the successes and the failures.  My beloved wife of 43 years is my best friend and confidant, prayer partner, and loving critic and cheerleader.  Sharing with my friends at work is important too.  Some will encourage me, some will politely listen, and those who are negative I will keep at arm's length.

If I value those I work with and under, let God fill me with joy, never disconnect from Him, and thank Him continually I will see change.  Will I fail along the journey?  Often!  Every failure is an opportunity to learn.  Discerning the root cause of my failure and correcting that will strengthen me.

My goal, the end result of this change, is to become a more grateful person on a daily basis.  Notice that I am looking for change daily, not a sudden transformation or reaching my goal by the end of the month.  What I want to do is establish a habit of being more grateful, growing each day.  Being intentional about growing and changing will influence everything.