I like the term proactive. It was first used in the1930’s in experimental psychology. It came to common use through the 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning. The author, Austrian existential neuropsychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl, used the word to describe a person who took responsibility for his or her life, rather than looking for causes in outside circumstances or other people. Frankl stressed the importance of courage, perseverance, individual responsibility and awareness of the existence of choices, regardless of the situation or context.
Mary David Fisher said, “The length of our life is less important than its depth.” Her saying reminds of something that musician Eubie Blake said on his 100th birthday: “If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”
We never know how much time we have left, either in this life or in this ministry, but the question of longevity isn’t nearly as crucial as the question of intensity. Even though quantity is an unknown variable; quality must remain consistent.
We need to approach our lives and our work the same way. Paul used a phrase in Ephesians 5 that is translated in the NIV as “make the most of every opportunity.” The King James uses the phrase, “redeeming the time.” In order to do this, we need to understand two things:
- Our lives fit into the Big Picture of God’s plan.
- The Big Picture is played out one frame at a time: one day, one hour, one moment at a time.
And while waiting may be good at times there are also times we waste our lives away waiting and never do anything worthwhile.
Determining the most important thing to do at any given moment isn’t as easy as it seems. It takes practice, discernment and wisdom. And it takes a grasp of the Big Picture. The pay off is that your days have meaning, and your life tells a story that brings glory to God.