Eleven Lifetimes

Communication expert Anna Chui, who is the editor of the website Lifehack loves to write about love, life, and passion.  

Chui believes that it takes about seven years to truly master a task, career, hobby, etc.  Further, she also calculates that since the average healthy person lives to around 88 years of age, most of us have about 11 different chances to become masterful at something new.  

For Chui, it all comes down to attitude, self-talk, and hope as to how people will spend their 11 "lifetimes."  

She says that some people self-talk their way into fear by saying things like, "I'm only trained to do one thing, and if I'm not doing that, then what good am I?"   

Others talk about themselves as though they are already dead gone by saying things like, "I used to be good at [insert thing they used to be good at here] but then [insert thing that happened to keep them from doing that thing they used to be good at doing].  

But there are some people who keep moving with hope and energy into their next "life," looking forward at what they will encounter, what new thing they will master, the next stage of life they will live.  

As Christians, we should totally get this.  

The God we claim to believe in is a God that is not stuck in the past, constantly pulling us backward.  Throughout the entire Bible God is constantly cajoling, exhorting, wooing and even commanding Gods people to join God in the hope-filled and shalom covered future that God is preparing.  

Jesus reiterates this with his followers when he offered up the mystical and beautiful promise that he was going on before them in the journey, but was going to prepare a place for them in the future--a future he promised to lead them to... 

Unfortunately,  so many people who claim to follow Jesus live out their faith as though they are staid, stuck, immovable, and unable to truly live.  

What are you going to do with the remainder of your eleven "lifetimes?"  Will you keep telling yourself that there is nothing new for you?  That you can't continue to learn and grow?   That your best years are behind you? 

Or will you begin to live with a renewed sense of purpose that is grounded in Resurrection hope?  Will you begin to truly believe what you say you believe when you claim that Jesus is Lord of your life?  

Will you trust that not only may there be new heights to climb, but that through Jesus, God has also given you all the strength and energy you need to climb them?   

May it be so.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.