Kingdom seekers of righteousness

A few days ago I posted my personal vision and mission statements. At the heart of these statements is my desire and passion to serve God and humanity with my gifts and talents. I’ve made many attempts at this in the past, but have always been kept back by my own sense of inadequacy for the task. Throughout 2011 I faced many life challenges. These events have been constant reminders that I am not an island. I’ve been reminded that:

• I am one part of a body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31);  
• My life and hopes are sustained by God (Psalm 119:116);
• God’s grace is sufficient for me in all situations and even in my weakness I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9);
• My righteousness comes from God through faith (Romans 3).

It is this last point that has captured my attention most in the last few months of 2011. One of my life verses is Matthew 6:33 (NIV), “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (emphasis mine). As a young follower of Christ my imagination was captured and consumed by the idea of God’s “kingdom”. Much of my life has been spent trying to understand what this kingdom is, what it looks like, and how I might seek it. For years I have overlooked the second command in this verse: to seek his righteousness. Seeking the kingdom can’t be done with our own strengths and right-ness. To fully understand God’s kingdom we have to review it through the righteousness that we have through Him who died on the cross for our sins so that we might be returned to a right relationship with our Creator-God.

I’ve declared 2012 a year in which I will seek God’s kingdom and righteousness. I can’t seek the first without the latter. In my own strength I am capable of nothing of consequence. With God’s power and strength, nothing is impossible.

Many of you may already have your New Year’s resolutions sorted. You may know with some degree of certainty where you are going this year. But if you haven’t sorted this out yet it’s not too late. I’d like to invite you to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness this year. What significant changes might we be able to make in the world if we together focus on building God’s kingdom (not our own) through the righteousness we receive through him (and not from what we have done)? Can you imagine a world like this? I know I can. 

Happy New Year! May the God of all creation bless you as you continue to serve others by seeking to serve Him.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV). 

Personal vision and mission statements

With the New Year rapidly approaching I've decided to do some reflection on where life has taken me and where I want to be. Through this process I've explored my strengths and passions in detail, reflecting on the moments in life where I've felt most alive. These moments have usually been when I've had opportunities to fully be myself. I recently took Marcus Buckingham's StandOut assessment and was reminded that I'm a Connector and a Pioneer. Although I drafted my vision and mission statements before taking this assessment, I've been amazed at how much my vision and mission reflect these two qualities. In order to fulfil the vision I have for life I will need to continue to make connections with the people I come in contact with. In order to 'arrive' one day at the place where I want to be I will have to continue to pioneer my way through the uncertainty and complexity of the world in which we live. I'm looking forward to 2012. It's never too late for new beginnings. As a pioneer I love fresh starts. As a connector, I'm looking for those who will share the adventure with me. 

Feel free to check out my vision and mission statements on my site. 

Update on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 12:10PM by Joel D. Supeck

I just discovered that the links in this post to my vision and mission statement required a login. I've change the permissions so that you can now view those statements by clicking the link. Alternatively, you will find the statements located under the "About Me" section on the left hand side of the site. 

Eye opener

I had my retinas photographed today. During a routine eye exam the optometrist decided to take a closer look at my optic nerve. My pupils needed the assistance of a few eye drops to open them up so a decent photo could be taken. As a result, I've been walking around most of the day with my glasses off. The world is a much scarier place when you can't see clearly. A neighbor saw me at the mall and she said I looked oblivious to everything around me. I was probably trying not to walk into anything. The good news is that my eyesight has actually improved. The optometrist asked me if I had change work in the last two years. I told him I went from a desk job to a teaching job. He was convinced that this would be enough of a change for my eyes to adjust. He reckons that the migraines I get are as a result of my eyes overcompensating for my prescription, which is now too strong. 

This got me thinking. What are some of things in my life that are hurting my ability to see? Who am I missing? What am I not doing? What have I been oblivious to as a result of my intense focus on a few things that I'm interested in? 

Finding a work life balance has always been difficult for me. My mind is constantly spinning and so I’m often collecting information, processing it, and assimilating it into what I do even when I’m supposed to be switched off from work. But my focus on collecting information and making connections has left me blind to actually delivering on the insights that I’ve captured. I have a lot of valuable information stored in my head and much of it is stuck there because I’m always focused on gathering more information. I need a better balance between collection and distribution. Seth Godin suggests that the ability to ‘ship’ is a skill that’s in demand (Godin, Brainwashed, 2010).  I think this is why I love to teach. I’ve been able to ‘ship’ the information I collect. I’m on the hunt for more distribution points. My eyes are open and I’m off to improve my sight. What areas of your life might need refocusing? What important people, tasks, or issues might you be blind to at the moment?