Heavy Tuesday

When someone you consider to be a Spiritual Father to you calls you on Monday and says he is reading a book you might like and then reads something from the book, I don’t know about you, but I stop and pay attention. And boy was it worth it. I am going to copy what he read to me for you to read. This is so great…

“Defining your core values will guide you in setting goals for yourself. Kind of like writing your own eulogy on what you would want people to say about you. To my surprise my list was very short and simple.
  1. I want to do something great for God! I want my relationship with Him to grow daily, and I want Him to mold me into a usable vessel for His glory.
  2. I deeply desire to be the absolute best husband on the planet. I want my marriage to be full of joy daily.
  3. I want my children to know they are absolutely, unequivocally second to nothing else in my earthly life except their mother. I will be available to them 24/7. I will attend every event they participate in if possible. They will know they are the central figure in my life.
  4. I want to provide enough for us to live comfortably, but we will not live extravagantly because I am not willing to sacrifice numbers one through three above to generate the necessary income to live that kind of lifestyle.

That’s it. Understanding what matters most to me has forced me to make some tough choices. I rarely travel, and if I do, I schedule the trip around my girls’ basketball games, concerts, or other activities. I have not sought to network and self-promote, though I have developed numerous master plans and strategies to build corporate and personal brands for other individuals and organizations. I decline numerous invitations that would advance my career, opting instead to spend my time answering my calling. As I write this, I am the assistant fourth grade girls’ coach at my daughter’s elementary school. That’s not quite the NBA coaching path I thought I would follow, but it is perfectly in line with my priorities. I so value my role as a husband and father that I am willing to make sacrifices to guard those relationships.”    
Richie Hughes, “Star Here, Go Anywhere”

            He told me that the man that wrote the book, and specifically this part of the book, reminded him of me. That was pretty awesome and I have thought about it since yesterday morning when I started reading the book.
            I am going to work on this over the next few days and weeks and come up with my own. I’m not going to lie, I think these are pretty good and mine will look similar. But more than the exercise of coming up with it I want to live it. Anybody can spout off their priorities but can our actions back up our mouths?
            Without defending with my tongue, can my life honor these core values? I can promise you this. Making decisions would be much simpler if we all had a set of core values and measured every decision on those values. What about this? I bet the people that usually get the answer, “No” from us would start hearing, “Yes” more often.
            Do you really need to make one more sell this week? Does your “buddy” really need you more than your son or daughter? Is my family worth sacrificing over my selfish habits, toys, friends, or addictions? I don’t think so.
            I will try and not bore you with my personal soul searching. And, don’t think I am judging anyone else. I am judging me and I am asking my God and my family to judge me also. I will do this; I dare you to do the same…
            Pretty heavy Tuesday, huh? Sorry bout that. Have a great week!!!!!
           
Pastor Dad

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