Thousands of years ago Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” His words related to his decision to end his life rather than remain in prison where he would not be able to reflect and consider all the facets of life. I have used his quotes many times in my life simply to remind myself that if I don’t stop to reflect on what is happening in and around my life, I will miss out on many times to grow as a person and leader.
This past weekend was a tremendous time of celebration at New Life Christian Ministries. As I noted in a post last week, I have never been good at pausing to celebrate the goodness of God, the “wins” of life, and the milestones reached along life’s way. This past weekend was a major step forward in that area for me, as we stopped on Friday evening–ALL evening–to celebrate God, each other, and what God has done in our fifteen years together as New Life. It was great to pause and remember the amazing sequence of events that brought New Life to existence, how God used a couple of people to increase my faith so Nancy, the girls and I would take the step of starting New Life. It was great to remember how many people came along side us from day one, and to see the hundreds of different people God has used to see that New Life has continued to not only exist, but thrive.
I am writing this post on the evening of July 4th. Nancy and I have taken most of the day since Abby left this morning to pause and celebrate what God has done in our lives and particularly what He did through the weekend. The community fireworks display we provided as the “cap” on the celebration weekend proved to surpass all of our expectations. People from the community gathered in large numbers to watch the display. Our parking lot and property were full for the event as more than 1,000 people joined us. I’m told the parking lot of the local primary center was full and that people lined Knoch road and another small business’ parking lot for the event. Everyone I saw was enthusiastic about the opportunity to pause and celebrate together.
I must remember this moment of examination on taking the time to celebrate, because it has helped me to see that celebrating is a great gift and blessing in life. Thanks to all who served in anyway at New Life’s 15th anniversary celebration. Thanks to all who participated in any way. Thank for helping me to realize once again that pausing to celebrate is one of the ways life is made richer and more meaningful. As I pause on a regular basis to examine my life, I’m going to remember to ask, “When was the last time I stopped to celebrate what God is doing in my life and in the lives of those around me?
Here’s to leading better, by pausing to examine our lives and learning from that examination–today!