Living the Examined Life

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."  I'm not sure of his context, but in the Christian context, this is a very true statement.  We have a tendency to go through the motions and wander off down paths that are either unproductive or personally harmful.  One of the most beneficial things that we can do is to take a step back and examine our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and beliefs with a somewhat critical eye.    When we do this, God will reveal to us those things that are weighing us down or causing us to stumble.  Some of these things are good things, just not the best things.  We often allow our lives to become cluttered with things that really don't matter much.  They rob us of the time, energy, and motivation to do the things that God has really called us to do.  One of the principles that I have learned from reading leadership books by John Maxwell and others is that, as a Pastor, I should delegate everything that I possibly can so that I can devote my time to the things that only I can do.  The Apostles did this in Acts chapter 6, when they chose the first deacons and gave them the responsibility of dealing with the needs of the widows in the church.  They did this so that they could devote themselves to the Word of God and to prayer.  Those were things that no one else could do for them.  As Christians, we need to take a little time each day to determine what are the very few things that only we can do and then set out with all of our resources, strength, and passion to see them accomplished.  By examining our daily practices and attitudes, we can focus on the things that really produce fruit in our lives.  The end result is a more fruitful Christian life and a more satisfying and fulfilling relationship with God.  So I would modify Socrates' statement just a bit and say, "The examined life leads to fruitfulness, faithfulness and fulfillment."