There are things you should do, things you shouldn’t do, and every once in a while, things you have to do. It is this latter category of life events I’d like to explore today.

It slices into items you’re required to do out of obligation, and those performed out of necessity. Remaining are those that inverse the relationship and in turn return a demand upon your soul. These cause such a tug within your heart and soul that compels you almost against your will to pursue them.

There are zero finished products. None who reach full potential. All remain works in progress. Always moving. Always changing. Always moving forward or back.

We are a month into the new year. Yes, we are already a month into a new year. For most, this is the time of year filled with the most motivation towards personal change. It provides a chance to turn over a new leaf. To change and improve.

Reading changes you. It informs and shapes your mind like nothing else. At the end of each month, I share a few of the books I’ve read within that month. I hope that you find something encouraging and motivating to you on your journey of personal change below.

Change is hard. It does not come with ease. It is not awarded to the faint of heart. It is a prize sought by many; found by few.

Everyone wants to change. It’s the natural response to reflection and no time of year offers itself to reflection like the end of December. The cool weather drives you indoors and the constant warmth and cheer of the Christmas season lend themselves to considering the turning of the page from one year to another.

Pain is a phenomenal teacher, and yet we avoid it all the time. We don’t want to experience it. We attempt to position our lives around the central theme of avoiding suffering. As a result, the slightest hint of it throws us off our game. Worse still, we squirm in every manner possible to get out from under its thumb once it arrives.

One of the first things we do when the clouds of struggle gather outside our door is pray for God’s deliverance. What would happen if God chose to answer every request of this type you offered? Would your growth trajectory remain up and to the right?

At best your growth line would stall and in time your mind, will, and character would begin to atrophy. You would lose all the ground you’d gained, and be incapable of continuing to develop.

A post entitled Your Hero’s Journey and Mine caught my eye recently. I found it conducive to the style of reflection leading to a greater perspective of one’s circumstances, and life story. As such it led me to pause and consider the story of my life in a new way.

My life seems a mangled mess at times. More than once I have thought it an unexciting line of successive episodes lacking direction and meaning. In short, I have often failed to board that plane of deeper reflection which allows one to see how one thing connects to another like roads converging on a map.

This skyward vantage point is a helpful place to visit from time to time. It is a great school bestowing insight and wisdom upon each traveler. Insights gained from above enable him to return home understanding essential truths to benefit moving forward.