Life can be very full, complicated, and busy – dare I say even overwhelming?! It is easy for us at times to simply climb onto the “treadmill” of life and be satisfied with just putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes we even do it mindlessly. There seem to be so many demands, so many responsibilities, so many pressures that we hope to just keep moving forward. But we need to ask the question: Are we always moving in the right direction? Moving forward, yes, but are we making headway in the areas that matter most in life? It’s a big question that deserves an honest and thoughtful answer.
What if we could step back a bit and see our lives more objectively? What if we could actually evaluate where we are and compare that to where we want to go? And then, determine if we are on track or not. Sound daunting? It doesn’t have to be.
I think we do this type of thing often without even realizing it. And yet, with a little more intentionality, we could raise the bar and challenge ourselves to step up a bit more in the areas of our lives that matter most: our faith, finances, character development, soul shaping, and family relationships.
All of us would do well to stop for a moment and evaluate our lives on a regular basis. Before we can grow in the right direction, we need to know where we are and where we want to go. Socrates said, “the unevaluated life is not worth living.” Paul challenges us to “examine ourselves.” Jesus told the rich young ruler who felt his life was at the pinnacle of success that he needed to take a closer look because he was moving in the wrong direction. He had not lived an evaluated or examined life up to that point. Someone once said that if you climb the ladder of life and make it to the very top, but find it leaning against the wrong wall…what good is that?
Joseph challenges us to take personal growth and life leadership more seriously. He calls us to become who God has made us to be in our faith, finances, character development, soul shaping, and family relationships. To do that, we need to practice these three things on a regular basis:
- EVALUATION — Where am I in the various key areas of my life in comparison to where God wants me to be?
- EMULATION — How can I better follow the life example of godly greats like Jesus and Joseph? (Joseph’s life in many ways mirrors the life of Jesus.)
- ELEVATION — Once I evaluate my life and compare it with the godly examples of Joseph and Jesus, where do I need to step up to become the man or woman or young person God is calling me to be?
Evaluation, Emulation, Elevation. No excuses and no debate. Rather, a true and sincere desire to grow and become who God has called me to be. Full of courage, brimming with vision, serious about integrity, devoted to improving our relationships – especially the most important ones in our own family – getting right with our finances, and living with greater godliness and authenticity.
Elevating the way we do life is not a slogan or a syrupy idea. It is a lifestyle. There is much at stake, and many people are counting on each of us to become our best self in Christ. Don’t settle. And don’t mindlessly proceed through life. Stop and do three things: Evaluate, Emulate, and Elevate.
To help us do this we are going to look at 8 self-assessments powerfully detailed in the life of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. I invite you to start by praying this prayer: “God help me become the person you want me to be and give me the courage to assess, evaluate, and make course corrections wherever needed. I want to be great in God and great for God!”
