Food For Thought

A few things I have been thinking about and/or working through lately...

- I'm not entitled to anything.
Entitlement has never been a struggle for me. I grew up in a poor, but loving family and my dad had the best work ethic I've ever seen. But as I've gotten older, become a bit more "successful" and as my tenure at my current church grows, I've noticed myself slipping into an entitlement mentality every once in a while. I don't like it, I think it's immature, it wreaks of arrogance.

- I'm no different than the next guy.
I've had a few mentors and a few colleagues step away from ministry far too early because of missteps that should have been avoided. I often find myself slipping into a judgemental mode or becoming angry at the dent they put in the reputation of ministry leaders. But then I realize that I'm really not a whole lot different than the next guy...any of us are a few dumb decisions away from the same paths.

- Life is short.
How cliche is that! But man is it ever true. This week I performed the funeral of an 84 year old man who lived a good life. I'm exactly halfway to that age and it's hard to fathom that my life really is halfway over. It might be time to start a bucket list.

- Very little matters.
At the funeral, nobody talked about this gentleman's accomplishments, wealth etc. The conversation totally revolved around memories, impact he had made into the lives of others and words of wisdom he was known for. Why the heck do we try so hard to achieve that which nobody really cares about?

- I think I'm going to get an iTouch.
Had to have something light weight in here! Plus, I've been thinking about it like crazy and it sounds like something that I'm entitled to, that the next guy already has, and will make my short life a little more meaningful.