You can accomplish more than you think.  Most of the barriers are in your head.  At least if you’re like me. 

Let me explain. 

It’s only June, but I think I’ve gotten more accomplished this year than in many other years combined.  I could say I’m excited about it, but actually I’m a bit shocked.  Shocked because some of the things I’ve gotten done are the very things I’ve thought about for years and never completed.  Some I never attempted. 

For years, people told me to write a book.  I even put it on my goal list once or twice. Just never did it.  It helped a lot that a great friend drafted me to cowrite one with him. While we worked on the concepts for a couple years, the real writing crunch happened very quickly.  Within the better span of a solid week, I had most of the first draft done.  Two months later, it was being printed. Now it helped alot that I wasn’t writing solo, but after it was over, I realized I might have written earlier if I put my mind to it. The issue:  I wasn’t sure I could actually do it.  But now I’m started to think about a second book. 

About six weeks ago, a mentor challenged me to designate a significant goal for 2010 that was doable by December, but that would actually be a challenge.  He encouraged input, so I emailed our staff and elders and asked what they thought I should do. Among the suggestions were:

• Run a triathalon
• Delegate more decisions
• Take a full day off every week

As I thought about these suggestions over a few days, I realized that these are all things I’d been thinking about for a while; in some case for years.  Then I got honest with myself: if I put my mind to it, none of them would actually take me to the end of 2010 to accomplish.  So I put them all on my goals for May and got them started or done.  (Well, the triathalon became a duathalon – I sink rather than swim).

My big goal for for 2010 became something I truly struggle with: I want to learn how to relax and have fun.  That one I thought I couldn’t solve in a month. 

I’m sitting here moving into June realizing that I have a huge obstacle in my life: me.  My little brain convinces me again and again that I can’t do what I’m actually able to do. 

I’m determined to overcome that.  If I can do even those things I’ve been putting off for years within a few months of each other, what else can I get done?

None of this squeezes God out of this conversation. I think it’s easy to rationalize our non-action as ‘spiritual’ or waiting on God.  Maybe He’s waiting on us – to get moving. 

This energy and resolve can move in multiple directions: your marriage, your parenting, your spiritual life, work, starting a new ministry, fitness – you name it.  

For me, it was simply admitting I spent  time convincing myself that I couldn’t do these things.  Shame on me.

How about you?  Do you struggle with this?  What helps you overcome inertia or a lack of progress in certain areas of your life?

PS.  By the way, after a month of working on it, I’m even relaxing better and having some fun.  How about that!

So…who is responsible for your spiritual growth?

If you’ve hung around church for any length of time, you might be tempted to say “my church is”.

At Connexus where I serve, we’ve been talking about that recently.   I did a message last month about blame and responsibility that seemed to resonate as deeply as any message we’ve ever done.  It got me thinking.   Although we’re not suffering from this right now, those of us who have led for a while are far too familiar with Christians who hop from church to church every few years, leaving church after church because they didn’t grow in their faith.  They leave, blaming the church and church leadership for failing.  I’ve discussed this for years with other church leaders, and we’re all frustrated by it.

Sometimes, churches need to change and admit we are not doing a great job helping people grow.  But honestly, sometimes it’s not the church’s issue.  The leadership has often done all it can to create environments that help people grow.  I wonder if there’s an underlying issue beneath it all  that rarely gets addressed.  It centers on the answer to this question: who is responsible for your spiritual growth?

The truthful answer is: you are.

I am not responsible for your growth.  Your wife isn’t.  Your children are not.  Nor is your car mechanic or small group leader.  The elders are not.  Nor is your neighbour across the street.  Who’s responsible for your spiritual growth?  You are.  In exactly the same way that I’m responsible for my growth and development.  It would be ludicrous for me to blame you for me not growing spiritually, but that’s what people do all the time to their churches.

Your church can help.  We try to create great environments that help people grow.  But think of it this way:  a chef can set a spectacular dinner table and cater a great meal, but at the end of the day he can’t make you eat or make you have fun.  That’s your business.  All he can do is create a great environment conducive to wonderful dining.

I have been tremendously helped by great leadership and great teaching in the church over the years.  But I’ve also grown under poor leadership, learned from mediocre teachers and even been sharpened in less than ideal community.   In fact, I’ve always grown the most when I’ve assumed personal responsibility for my spiritual development and looked for others to help me (not grow me, just help me grow).  I’ve grown the least when I’ve slacked off.

I wonder what would happen to the church if Christians took responsibility for their growth?  I wonder what would happen if we pursued a personal walk with the same passion we use when we blame others for our failures?  I wonder what would happen if we helped each other out and prayed for each other but continued to encourage people to take responsibility for their spiritual growth?

What do you think?  Is this an issue you see?  What would happen we collectively re-assumed responsibility for our spiritual growth?