I came across a reel on Instagram yesterday that went something like this: "Just remember: the amount of money you've spent on buying guitars is nothing compared to the amount you haven't!"
Even though my wife found this less amusing than I and didn't accept it as a solid premise for the procurement of another 6-string (sigh), it did get me thinking: What if we approach life the same way?
My first thought as I crawled over the finish line of 2024 and entered the new year gasping for air was: My house is a mess and I failed to complete those writing and recording goals.
Being wired as 'task-oriented', I started the year with a list of projects that I felt were important. You know, small things, like recording an album and working on a novel, and completing a master's degree—full time pursuits in themselves!
I do take some comfort in (but annually forget) the wisdom shared by one of my lecturers Brain Harris, who said (something like) "we constantly overestimate what we can achieve in one year, and underestimate what we can achieve in ten."
Yet the feeling of failure persisted, despite it being perhaps the busiest year of my life.
Last year I became a church leader, preached a whopping twenty-five sermons, planted (and ran) a second church, performed marriage ceremonies, attended networking events, baptised, prayed with, and ministered to people—you know, pastor-stuff. I completed training to run prison ministry programs and knocked off another unit in my theological degree. And most of that was on a voluntary basis, so I also taught four days a week in a local high school, along with all that goes with it: planning and preparation, marking, after-school events, PDs, reading and research—which is a relatively new role for me.
As a musician I played a dozen local gigs, taught a couple of students the guitar, and led a 9-piece band in a large-scale public performance at the end of the year.
In my spare time (!) I wrote some BLOGS (not enough!) and a short-story which achieved first place in a competition (but not my novel!).
At home I am a husband and father of four children. I coached my daughter's basketball team, drove my kids to and from various places a thousand times a week, kept (just) a household running, cut lawns (sometimes), tried (at least) to maintain relationships with my extended family, and spent quality time with my wife and kids (but not enough).
As you can see, it's not like I did nothing! Yet the feeling persists.
I don't say any of this to brag or high-five myself, but to point out my own folly. And yes, I am aware of (and working on) some of my own issues that lead me to think this way.
What I am interested in asking myself (and you!) however is this: What if we do the same thing with God? What if we focus on the things God hasn't done—heal a disease, fix our finances, prevent a situation of abuse, stop world hunger—and fail to see the things he has.
God gives us life, oxygen, a rich and diverse natural world to steward and enjoy, family and friends, and (for most people in my community) put roofs over our heads, food in our bellies, free will in our hearts, and loved ones in our care.
According to the Bible, we are not mere accidents, but are fearfully and wonderfully and lovingly made.
God gives us every opportunity to know himself, each of these things having an imprint of his nature and wisdom and love. He has blessed us with every good thing, and for those who follow Jesus he has gone the extra step and filled them with his own Spirit—His presence to love, heal, guide, comfort.
Jesus said that if you seek first the kingdom of God, all else will be added to you. I suspect this was intended to be practical not philosophical. For many of us much of the time (myself included) we do this the opposite way. We seek first our own kingdom (our own desires and will) and then try to add God. By doing so, we miss out on a heart of gratitude, wonder, and awe, and the joy of allowing God to guide our path.
With that in mind, how should we measure our lives? I am doubting that my rather secular approach of aiming for boxes ticked (I blame the 7-Habits guy and his ilk) is rather deficient. I won't ever—to be honest—shed it altogether, it's just the way I'm wired, but my emphasis needs to shift from doing to being.
We are, after all, human beings, not human doings, and I suspect that Jesus' advice points us in this direction: to rest in God's presence and love first, and do second. I'm sure then we get some stuff done too, but important stuff. God-directed stuff. After all, "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives" Psalm 37:23 (NLT).
So our measure of success at the end of the year should not be "did I achieve x, y and x?" but "did I seek God first? Did I rest in God?"
Being before doing.
I'm going to have a crack at that this year, and who knows, I might even get more stuff done?!
But hey, it's just my two-bob's worth as usual.
