With 2010 coming to a close and my focus almost always on the future, I find it a good exercise to reflect on what I think I’ve learned this year. Yes, you read that right. I’ve been alive long enough to know the things I really know I put into practice and sometimes it takes a while for thoughts to become habits. Here are the top 10 in no particular order

1. In every project I consider I need to learn something, have fun and make money. I’ve learned to only accept the projects that give me at least 2 out of 3.
2. I can’t be so quick to tell my plans. I’ve learned that telling my plans makes me feel like I’m closer to completing my plans, but actually make me less likely to complete those plans. This is counter-intuitive, but really works…I can’t wait to tell you what I’ve got in the works for 2011…but I will until I’m ready with each project.
3. I need to remember the ant. It’s the consistent, steady movement, step-by-step that gets the job done.
4. I don’t always have to upgrade WordPress right away…although 3.0.4 looks critical.
5. More people care about you than you know.
6. Time is money, but money can be saved while time needs to be spent wisely.
7. There’s a life off-line that’s even cooler than YouTube.
8. Sometimes God’s Word is lamp unto our feet, other times it’s a light unto our path. Don’t get too comfortable with either.
9. All non-spam comments are good. People don’t have to agree with you to add to the conversation.
10. God really gives you wisdom when you ask for it and move with the wisdom you have.

What have you learned in 2010? Love to have your comments or a link to your blog post on it in my comments below.

Happy New Year!

Truth:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (New International Version)

Thought:

The Bible is so rich with metaphors that we can see in the natural. When you think about it, how else could the created understand the Creator? We recognize our language and experience is limited by our mortality, but at the same time we realize it is God who has revealed Himself to us.

That thought alone makes me stop and worship. I wish I could relay it more profoundly.

Here’s one that makes me go “Ah ha!”

The moon does not have its own light, but reflects the light of the sun to the part of the world that’s away from the light. There are two things that happen to stop the light from the sun being reflected to the world. They both have to do with the position of the moon.

1. When the world comes between the moon and sun – whose light it was created to reflect to the part of the world that’s away from the sun – it’s called a lunar eclipse. The shadow of the world covers the face of the moon that reflects the light of the sun.
2. The moon is also able to come between the sun and the side of the world that is directly receiving its light. The shadow of the moon covers a portion of the earth instead of reflecting the suns light to the side of the world that is away from the sun. We call that a solar eclipse.

However, there is also a time when the moon is in the perfect position to reflect the greatest amount of the light of the sun to the part of the world that is away from the sun. It is the brightest, biggest moon of the year and it happens in the Northern Hemisphere in the Fall. We happen to call that the “harvest moon.”

The same is true for us. We reflect the goodness of God by choosing to grow the fruit of Spirit that reflects His good nature. It puts us in the position to reflect the greatest amount of His light to the part of the world that is still in darkness.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control together show the nature of Jesus to the world.  And there are two truths about fruit we need to be aware of.

The first is – Fruit happens. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. When we abide in Him, we bear much fruit. It’s as natural as the moon reflecting the light from the sun to the side of the world that’s away from the sun. The lesson is abiding in the vine.

The second truth is – we need to tend an orchard.  This thought doesn’t contradict the first, although I admit I’m mixing metaphors.  Growing in the fruit of the Spirit is a choice we make, as well as a series of choices throughout the day. We will constantly need to choose love, joy, peace and patience. We will have opportunity to choose kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Conditions will be conducive for us to not wish to choose gentleness and self-control.

So does fruit just happen, or do we tend the tree?

Both.

Learn how to abide and fruit just happens. Abiding means keeping in step with the rhythms of the master and in our fallen state it is a choice to reflect the light of the sun to the side of the world that’s away from the sun.

The next few days we’ll be encouraged to make that choice a habit.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, that when I abide in You, Your words abide in me and I can ask whatever I want and it will be given to me. Teach me to abide. Thank You, Holy Spirit, You will empower me to put on and grow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Challenge:

If you could show God to the world in any way that reflects His goodness and Glory, how would you do it? Pray and obey. There are things you can do today that will see that prayer fulfilled. Do them.

Declaration:

I choose to reflect the light of the Son to the side of the world that’s away from the Son. I choose to put on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.