May 19th, 2020: Personal Development

 Detailed Summary of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren | Sloww

After meeting with a friend who is a mental coach for the Canadian Special Olympics Team, I realized how much I miss meaningful and face to face conversations. He and I have been working on some theories about how our well being depends on our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual movements. We don't always agree but that is the specialness of our friendship.


We compared notes and talked about what we have learned from people we coach. Interestingly, we focused our conversation on the same four main points even though we have been approaching them quite differently.

Having a Goal: this is the most common point in many leadership materials. However, we were talking about having a goal from a spiritual angle. Our goal is to truly discover one true self in the art of living. Learning how to walk away from the fabricated self and welcome the true self that God has created at the beginning of time.

Having a Plan: how we develop the true self will help us discover how the fabricated self bases its plan on reactive responses to the outward surrounding. It is a reactive self and a self that is easily disturbed and bothered by others. The true self is one that is at peace and will plan to be more reflective and meditative in its engagement of life.

Have Motivation: when we learn to develop the true self, we learn how to love that self healthily. Then the main motivation in life is to overcome the many loveless aspects of our life. Loving oneself is not selfish if we understand that it is the best gift we can offer to the world. It is not about being protective. It is about being free in both what we know and don't know.

Have a Commitment: for some people commitment is a dirty word. It tends to imply obligation and a lack of freedom. Having a commitment is the most meaningful way to honour that true self. When we see ourselves as what God has given us in our being, we will have the courage to commit. We cannot respond to the truth without commitment.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
(Psalm 139: 13-14)

Popular posts from this blog

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Oct 1st, 2022: Be With Those Who Suffer

Image
  Listening to a young woman who shared her experience of being raped repeatedly by a family member for over four years as a teenager made my heart ache. The man who did that was a leader of a church. He was imprisoned for seven months and released. He was her stepfather. Her mother chose to pick him over her after his release. Her life has changed forever. She had to go to a foster home. Her foster parents helped her with her restoration and her faith in God. Her supervisor at work asked me to see her because someone at work was inappropriate toward her. That triggered many emotions within her. I did not expect the story I heard from her. The meeting took longer than I thought, and it was toward the end of the day. She kept talking about her anger and the pain she felt when men treated her like a subject. I knew that the best I could do was to listen. She told me she had not been able to tell anyone as much as with me. God reminded me of the true calling of being a pas...
Read more