\nJim Elliot<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a closer look at these two odysseys.\u00a0 The first journey is the physical – day in day out decisions \u2013 actions\/consequences \u2013 success\/failure \u2013 joy\/sorrow \u2013 love\/bitterness.\u00a0 This is the soup we all live in.\u00a0 What should guide us through this messy thing called life?\u00a0 I propose that only two principles (truths) will provide most of the guidance in this part of you odyssey.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Principle #1:\u00a0 Know that what you plant today, you will have no choice but to harvest it tomorrow.\u00a0 The decisions and actions we make today (good or bad) will always have an effect on our lives in the future.\u00a0 There are no free passes. Decisions that display your character and integrity are the most powerful-either for your good or for your detriment. Just as planting occurs in seasons, we can choose to plant a different type of crop if we don\u2019t like the result of the current harvest.\u00a0 If you do make a drastic change in what you plant, please understand that old seeds from your past will still produce its harvest and will have to be dealt with, but change will certainly come with time. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Principle #2:\u00a0 Always place others before yourself.\u00a0 This principal may be somewhat counter to mainstream culture, yet it produces the results we all seek – joy, fulfillment, harmony and success. Yes, I\u2019m referring to financial success. You will find that some of the most financially successful people would enter into business deals only if all related parties were equal winners. The key to this principle is to be proactive – look for ways to reach out and lend a hand to someone in need.\u00a0 Do not expect anything in return – not even a \u201cthank you\u201d.\u00a0 Practice anonymous, random acts of kindness.\u00a0 If someone wants to repay you, tell them to pay it forward. Your benefit goes back to principle #1 – your harvest will be full of what is truly good in life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A spiritual odyssey starts with 1) an interest and 2) a step of faith.\u00a0 Let\u2019s take a look at these two elements.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0An interest<\/strong>:\u00a0 This is where I think most people stumble.\u00a0 We are all too busy in the pursuit of things that continually produce diminishing satisfaction.\u00a0 A young associate once commented, \u201cI don\u2019t really think about God or spiritual things because, at this stage in my life, it\u2019s just not relevant.\u201d\u00a0 I appreciated the honesty and strongly suspect this view is pervasive in a large segment of our society.\u00a0 We all tend to seek out those things that bring us the most happiness or fulfillment. \u00a0Those \u201cthings\u201d tend to be asset related (cars, TVs, electronics, homes, etc…) or personal improvements (education, beauty, social status, careers, etc…). \u00a0I am not saying that these things are bad or wrong, but if you think these things will lead to sustained joy, happiness and fulfillment, you may be in for a considerable letdown. \u00a0If you find yourself on that treadmill, please consider the Law of Diminishing Returns<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n This was a concept I learned as a college freshman, but considered its value and application so broad that I taught it to my two daughters when they were in preschool.\u00a0 Without trying to get into a discussion on economics, the implication of this law is that the more you do, or obtain, of the same thing, the less value (or satisfaction) you obtain.\u00a0 This law applies to almost everything in life.\u00a0 The question you have to ask yourself is \u201cWhat is the rate<\/em><\/strong> of diminishing returns?\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s use this web site as an example.\u00a0 After viewing it, hopefully, you obtained some benefit or satisfaction from it.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s suppose you come back to the site the following day.\u00a0 If you get bored with it or find little additional information, enjoyment, value, or satisfaction, the rate of diminishing returns is high.\u00a0 On the other hand, if you enjoyed it again and found close to the same benefit as the original visit, then the rate<\/em><\/strong> of diminishing returns is considered low.\u00a0 This concept can be applied to all spectrums of life – relationships, vocations, areas of study, wealth, personal improvement, hobbies, etc.\u00a0 The idea I tried to convey to my children was to apply this concept to all aspects of their life, then pursue only those things with a low rate of diminishing returns.\u00a0 This may seem intuitive, but we, as people, have bought into the concept that in order to be happy and fulfilled we need the things mentioned above.\u00a0 The problem is they all have a high rate of diminishing return.\u00a0 You will continue to work harder and harder for the same amount of previous satisfaction.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fool\u2019s game.\u00a0 But year after year we continue down this yellow brick road because we believe it will eventually lead to our sustained joy and happiness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We must reevaluate what is the object of our interest \u2013 for this is where we will spend most of our thought time. From an early age, I had an immense appreciation for nature.\u00a0 Growing up in west Texas, I would stay outside as long as possible when those magnificent thunder storms would come rolling in.\u00a0 The smell of rain, the flash of lightning, the boom of the thunder held me spellbound.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just the grand events that captivated me, but the small everyday events, the symmetry of a flower, the flight of a dragonfly, the creation of a rainbow using water from a water hose, the buzz of a cicada, the structure of a horny toad, the smell of a dandelion, the difference in the sounds of day and night, the rising and setting of the sun, the list goes on and on.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t understand why anyone would prefer to stay inside a house when the outdoors had so much beauty and wonder.\u00a0 When I was seven years old, my family took a trip to visit our cousins in Bay City, Texas.\u00a0 We all decided to go to the beach.\u00a0 I had never seen the ocean, but my dad told me to brace myself because it was so big you could not see the other side.\u00a0 Coming from west Texas, that was hard to imagine.\u00a0 As we approached the ocean and I got my first glimmer of the water, something happened inside, something spiritual, something hard to explain and something unexpected.\u00a0 In that moment of pure excitement and awe, I connected all of the wonder of nature with God.\u00a0 That day is still fresh in my memory today.\u00a0 The joy of splashing in the surf, sand between your toes, the sun reflecting off the water – it was a great day.\u00a0 That was the day that I can look back and say that is when my spiritual odyssey began –\u00a0 when I took an interest in discovering more about who, or what, was behind the beauty of nature.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A step of faith<\/strong>:\u00a0 In reality, our lives are replete with examples of decisions\/actions based on faith.\u00a0 As a child, I put my faith in my parents to protect, feed and provide.\u00a0 I also trusted their advice knowing they had my best interest in mind.\u00a0 As an adult, you take larger steps of faith.\u00a0 Decisions involving marriage, career paths, financial endeavors, all involve some degree of faith.\u00a0 We do not know how any of these events will play out.\u00a0 If you are wise, you will do your homework and seek wise counsel before making any of these big decisions.\u00a0 But in the end, there are no guarantees and that is where faith steps in. So like it or not, we are creatures of faith \u2013 not necessarily by choice, but of necessity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As mentioned, not everyone chooses to take the spiritual journey as it is a choice left entirely up to the individual.\u00a0 There are many spiritual paths – almost every known major civilization has adopted some form of religion to satisfy man\u2019s innate spiritual needs.\u00a0 It can be argued that even atheistic countries have substituted their government (or nationalism) as the focal point of quasi worship\/servitude.\u00a0 I would disagree<\/em><\/strong> with the concept that all religions lead to God – that it doesn\u2019t matter which path you choose as long as you are faithful to it.\u00a0 I realize that statement possibly offended some,\u00ad but please hear me out.\u00a0 There is such a divergence between the religions that they cannot all be correct.\u00a0 Hinduism claims there to be thousands of gods. Judaism claims there to be only one god.\u00a0 Christianity claims one god, but made of three separate entities, and on and on.\u00a0 Logically, they cannot all be correct.\u00a0 There are seemingly only three probable possibilities, 1) there is no god, 2) there is a god(s) and it is represented in one of the known world religions, or 3) there is a god(s) and it is not represented by any known religion.\u00a0 For someone seeking the truth in this area, I can see where it would be compelling to simply throw up your hands and walk away.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As mentioned, our journey is our own and it is unique.\u00a0 I can only speak in truth about my own.\u00a0 The connection between nature and God was established within me as a young boy.\u00a0 Yes, that requires some faith but I thought it was obvious that something had to be directly involved in the creation of everything around me.\u00a0 Everything had such a beautiful element to it – a uniqueness, craftsmanship, versatility, and functionality to it.\u00a0 As I got older, I was drawn to the sciences.\u00a0 The more I learned, the more I concluded that everything in nature screams that there was a master designer.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how anyone who understands the basic structure and functionality of the simplest DNA strand could possibly conclude that this somehow evolved without design.\u00a0 That type of reasoning takes far greater faith than I will ever have.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n My parents went to church, but we had very little discussion about anything spiritual.\u00a0 Going to church was more of a social function.\u00a0 My turning point occurred by seeing how my grandparents lived their lives and having long discussions with Melinda\u2019s father.\u00a0 Melinda\u2019s father knew the Bible on a deep level.\u00a0 I was inquisitive and he was patient and provided sound answers.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until the summer between my junior and senior year in high school that I publicly put my life in the hands of Christ.\u00a0 Up until that moment, I thought religion was based on performance.\u00a0 I thought it was basically a list of dos and don\u2019ts \u00a0\u2013 \u00a0your good actions had to outnumber your bad \u2013 you had to show up to church as a display of sincerity. Was I so very wrong.\u00a0 I hate to use the word partnership, but this is the best definition I can muster that describes what my spiritual odyssey has become. With every good partnership, you select the most capable person to be the managing partner. Of course, this is Christ \u2013 but I often forget this and usually realize my folly after things didn\u2019t go so well.\u00a0 Getting to know and understand Christ does not apply to the Law of Diminishing Returns.\u00a0 The more you learn, the more you get to personally know, the more you trust, the more you see the work of Christ in your life, the less<\/em><\/strong> effort it takes to be fulfilled, to be at peace, to be assured your life is going in the right direction.\u00a0 In the case of Christ, I would say that the rate of diminishing returns is actually negative.\u00a0 I can\u2019t think of anything else in life where that is consistently true.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For those of you who don\u2019t know me, let me say that I consider myself a practical, bottom line, realist.\u00a0 I started my first business venture at the age of thirteen-complete with a business pro forma.\u00a0 \u00a0I try to give careful thought and analysis when making decision as I do not like leaving results up to chance.\u00a0 In other words, I want to have an educated idea of what the end will look like before I begin.\u00a0 To this end, Christianity satisfies this need.\u00a0 I have studied, not in depth, other major world religions.\u00a0 I am so grateful that Christianity does not require me to check my brain in at the gate before proceeding.\u00a0 I know of no other religion that comes close to validating itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Without trying to fill up more cyber space, let\u2019s consider a few highlights.\u00a0 Take for example the survivability of the Jewish nation.\u00a0 This little nation in the Middle East began 4,000 + years ago.\u00a0 Where are the great nations that enslaved them now (Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans )?\u00a0 All of these were the dominate world powers of their times, yet none exist as a nation today. Against all odds, little Israel still stands.\u00a0 Even in modern times we have a clear example that something is very unusual about this nation that God has declared as special.\u00a0 In June of 1967 a six day war took place in which the small military army of Israel conquered the combined military forces of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq.\u00a0 Some consider this triumph of Israel to be the most improbable military outcome in all of history.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Then there is the Bible itself.\u00a0 You may argue that the events described did not take place, but there is no argument as to what was written and when it was written.\u00a0 The Jewish scribes took painstaking measures to ensure every letter was perfectly duplicated from one generation to the next.\u00a0 My point is that the books of the Old Testament, written between 1,500 BC and 450 BC, contain literally 100\u2019s of very specific prophecy – mostly relating to the coming and life of Christ.\u00a0 Just to ensure that mankind doesn\u2019t miss it, the Old Testament contains numerous prophetic foreshadows.\u00a0 These are events that occurred in the Old Testament days that unmistakably parallel an event that occurred during the short 33 years that Christ was here with mankind.\u00a0 I can find no other religion that 1) exposes itself to open criticism by declaring such numerous and specific prophecies, and 2) actually has all declared prophecy fulfilled.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The last aspect of Christianity that solidifies this as the real deal is what God\u2019s spirit has done in my life.\u00a0 I can honestly say that without God\u2019s intervention, I would not be alive today (yes, God specifically intervened during \u00a0two potential high speed head on collisions), I would not still be married to my high school sweetheart (unable to fix the marriage myself, I humbly requested God to intervene and to my surprise, He completely changed the way I viewed our marriage) and I would not have the fulfillment and peace that I experience today (I would be on that treadmill chasing diminishing returns).\u00a0 The first steps on my spiritual odyssey were taken in faith, but that is not so much the case anymore.\u00a0 Time, experience and research have proven to me that this one called Jesus is in fact everything the New Testament claims.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n So, what is the secret to life?\u00a0 Life is a journey of two odysseys.\u00a0 Live your physical journey based on the two principles already mentioned.\u00a0 The second odyssey, although optional, is required in order to truly live life to its potential. We are getting close to the full secret of life, but not completely there yet. It is not enough to have a physical odyssey and a spiritual odyssey. It is commonplace to keep the two odysseys separated \u2013 almost compartmentalizing the spiritual odyssey.\u00a0 This person is easy to spot \u2013 they tend be inconsistent in the way they act depending on the situation or who they are with. This person is like an individual who is trying to navigate a boat with half his body in the boat while the other half is dragging in the water \u2013 it just doesn\u2019t work.\u00a0 So when I say the spiritual odyssey is required, I\u2019m referring to being 100% committed to allowing Christ to be the captain of your life in all situations.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The secret to life is when you allow your physical odyssey to become one with your spiritual odyssey. It is my opinion that this is what we were created for. \u00a0The result creates harmony and peace between your spirit and God.\u00a0 You will see the world in a different way – it will not be about you and chasing after fleeting happiness.\u00a0 It will be about building a relationship with the creator of all creation.\u00a0 Your priorities will change.\u00a0 You will see people in a different way – more of their potential and less of their short comings. \u00a0Being bonded to Christ changes people from the inside out.\u00a0 With some people, the change occurs almost instantly, while others may take longer.\u00a0 It has been said that it\u2019s not what place you start in a race, the important thing is what place you are when you cross the finish line. \u00a0I use to think this way. It is now my opinion that it is the way<\/strong> I run the race that really matters – everything else is diminishing returns.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/myspringlakeranch.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Secret.jpg\")
Life involves two journeys (odysseys).\u00a0 One is physical, which is mandatory, where the other is spiritual, which is optional. The journey(s) for each of us is as unique as we are.\u00a0 No two are exactly the same.\u00a0 Before we proceed, let\u2019s first define what is meant by \u201cThe Secret to Life\u201d.\u00a0 I think it would be fair to say that at the end of our road we would all like to look back on our life and determine that our life was worth the living – our expectations were met – we accomplished what we had hoped – our good outweighed our bad \u2013 there was more joy than sadness. Inherent in everyone\u2019s life is an abundance of failure, pain (physical and emotional), disappointment, illness, loneliness, fatigue, etc. – no one is exempt.\u00a0 We would hope that in spite of all the negative factors, our life was worth living and we would gladly do it all over again.\u00a0 Each one of us can only make that call.\u00a0 I have found what I consider to be \u00a0the secret to life and if you can afford me a few moments, I\u2019d like to share a few thoughts with you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n