By Rod Stewart, Senior Executive, Global Technology
In my previous blogs (October 24 and October 31 ), I shared my journey of this past year, detoxing from a very challenging 30+ year career: dealing with the pathology that was driving my success, an addiction to performance, a distorted view of God, and how my health was being destroyed all at the same time.
So how else can we proactively cooperate with the restorative work God wants to do in our heart before we launch into a second half adventure to change the world? Here are a few things that have helped me:
1. Reading good stuff – I started spending lots of unstructured time reading the Bible and other Christian books, praying and writing out my feelings, prayers and what I was learning. I hated doing this at first, but discovered that this journaling solidifies what God is saying to me and allows me to change the tapes playing in my head. For example, I would often write out scripture, such as Psalm 103:11-13, and then reflect in writing what it meant to me and thank God for His love. A love that’s not depending on my goal achievement, but based on His unchangeable nature:
2. Talking it through – discussing past pain and disappointment has helped me understand the root cause of my “driven-ness” and anxiety. You’ll need a trusted Christian counselor or friend who can really listen and not try to fix you, but accept and encourage you in the process.
3. Set Heart Journey Goals – because we are goal-oriented, creating clear objectives for internal growth may be helpful. It channels our energy. A few of my heart journey goals this year are: greater intimacy with Jesus; more able to listen for God’s leading; learn to relax and give God control; serving others out of love for God, not duty. But, as you can imagine, I am learning that spiritual growth can’t be programmed or forced. Listening and responding to the Holy Spirit takes time and space. Healing is not linear and heart-change is not something you can schedule, but it is an interaction with God over time – more like a dance than a forced-march.
I am learning that God is in the healing business. If you schedule unhurried time with Him, He will change you from the inside out. That journey will probably not be what you expect, but it will be richer and more satisfying than anything the business world world has to offer!
Action Step – plan a silent solo retreat to spend an entire day alone with your Bible and journal and simply listen to God.
I hope something here can help you as you detox from success and pursue significance.
HALFTIME DETOX: WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE IN YOUR FIRST HALF – PART 1
HALFTIME DETOX: Why? PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY, AND EMOTIONALLY? – PART 2
