In an earlier post, I shared A. W. Tozer’s 7 Rules of Self-Discovery. Perhaps this inspired you to consider your own life? I hope so. It got me thinking more about mine, and I thought I would give you a brief progress report. As a reminder, here are the 7 rules:

1. What we want most.

2. What we think about most.

3. How we use our money.

4. What we do with our leisure time.

5. The company we enjoy.

6. Who and what we admire.

7. What we laugh at.

OK, here goes – this is where I am right now.

1. What I want most – Is to be independent. To earn a good living – at least in part by doing something I enjoy (writing, editing) – and I’m about 60% there. I also want to be healthy and safe. I know God is in control and He is sovereign, but there are things that I can do.God won’t do my part and I can’t do His. So I pray daily and most earnestly for wisdom and discernment.
2. What I think about most – How I live and who I am becoming. My goal is to live this life as preparation for eternity. I want to please God. I want to hear Jesus say to me “well done, good and faithful servant”. I tend toward negativity and find that I criticize myself for my failures more than I celebrate and build on my successes. I am prayerfully working on discerning between condemnation and conviction, and working with Holy Spirit to change.
3. How I use my money. I am a person of modest means living in an expensive city. That said, I do try to spend prudently. I don’t save as much as I should but I do tithe and give to God’s work (in missions in my country and abroad). My challenge is to live within my means, pay down my mortgage, maintain my home and save for retirement (Lord? Help!)
4. What I do with my leisure time. True confession: I watch too much TV. I’m learning to be selective, and tape shows instead of watching in real time (so I can control my schedule). I enjoy good fiction and like to read – and of course I’m working on my writing. I also enjoy walking and working out. Plus my weekly treat is to sleep in on Saturdays! There are two schools of thought on this. One says ‘get up at the same time each day, weekends too’ and the other says ‘not getting enough sleep over time depletes your sleep bank and it’s OK to top up on weekends’.
5. The company I enjoy. My preference is solitude and, as an introvert, I need a lot of solitary down time between being-with-people times. I do enjoy getting together with 4 Christian friends every week, and a couple of other friends and family at least once a month. Plus the occasional group events (company Christmas party, etc).
6. Who and what I admire. I admire overcomers who are faithful fruitful servants of God, like Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore and Nick Vujicic. I admire people who live with integrity, serve God, help others – givers not takers. I admire my sister and her husband and sons, the way they love the Lord and each other, and the way they live out their faith.
7. What I laugh at. Funny movies or shows — mostly old ones, like Dick Van Dyke, Ted Baxter on the old Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mr. Bean. Peter Sellers in “The Party”. Family jokes (my cousin and I laugh uproariously over the word ‘Salada’, a brand of tea). Animal antics. Cute things babies and toddlers do. Myself, sometimes. I would like to laugh more!

Well, there you have it friends. As you can see, I have to work on rules 1 through 4.

Would you share some of your ideas, or struggles or successes? With me, and with others, to encourage them. Please drop me a line in the Comments box. It really is a wonderful thing, to learn from each other! Thank you and God bless you.