Finishing Well

I just registered for the last class I need to earn my MBA, and it put me into a reflective mood.  I started my MBA program at Azusa Pacific in September 2006.  When I walk across the stage at graduation on July 30, 2010, it will be one month shy of four years from when I first started.

So, other than working on an MBA, what have I been up to for the last four years?  What have I accomplished that was worthwhile?  What have been my failures?  Am I a better man now than I was four years ago?

Accomplishments

Let's start with the fun part.  Here are the good things that have happened in my life over the past four years.

• Got married to the most beautiful girl in the world.
• Played a significant role in APU's PeopleSoft implementation project (Eiro).
• Promoted twice in three years, first to PeopleSoft DBA, and then to Assistant Director.
• Purchased a home in Rancho Cucamonga.
• Participated in Men's Fraternity, a three-year men's Bible study at church.

Failures 

Now for the sobering part - what have been my major failures over the last four years?

• My prayer and devotional life has been inconsistent at best.
• Gained 30 pounds during Project Eiro.  I am squarely in the "obese" category.
• Spent more time at work and less time with my wife than I should have.

What Matters, Anyway?

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes"  (James 4:13-14)

Our small group is currently reading through Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  In it, he makes some interesting statements:

• Since the world began, there have been somewhere between 45 and 125 billion people that have lived on this earth.
• In less than 100 years, nobody will remember a thing about me.  I will die, and life will go on.

So, what matters?  For what purpose was I placed on this earth, and over the last four years, have I been fulfilling that purpose?

I guess the best answer I have is "yes", "no", and "I don't know":

• Yes, I have fulfilled my purpose at times.  I think I have done many things over the last four years that God meant for me to do, including get married to my wife and participate in project Eiro and Men's Fraternity.
• No, I haven't fulfilled my purpose at times.  I know there have certainly been plenty of times where sin has caused me to fall short of the plans or purposes God had for my life, or miss Kingdom opportunities altogether.
• I don't always know what God's plan for my life is.  The best way to know God's will for your life is to be in continual, consistent relationship with him, which includes spending time in solitude, communing with the Holy Spirit, who petitions God the Father through Christ on our behalf.  I have not had a consistent devotional life, and therefore cannot say with confidence that I am in tune with God's purposes.

Finishing Well 

As I look back on the last four years, I see that I have accomplished much and been blessed greatly.  But there is also a lot of room for improvement.  Looking forward to the final four months of my MBA program, I don't just want to finish - I want to finish well.  I want to look back on my life and be able to say with confidence "I am a better man now than I was before.  I am closer to God now than I was then."

So, over the next four months, I want to do some things differently.  I'm setting the following goals for myself for the next four months:

• Make solitary time with God a daily part of my routine.  This will mean waking up by 6:00AM each day in order to spend time praying and listening to God.  (Ultimately, what this really means is that I need to go to bed by 10:00PM each night.)
• As much as possible, limit my work week to 45 hours, and spend more time with my wife.  I've actually begun carpooling with a co-worker as a way to have accountability for an 8-9 hour workday.
• Maintain a healthier lifestyle.  I need to lose 50 pounds to get to a "normal" BMI - over the next four months, I'd like to get a good start on that.  All this extra weight is probably killing me slowly.  As busy as I usually am, I need to plan for convenient healthy alternatives to Jack in the Box and McDonalds.  A Slim-Fast for breakfast and a Lean Cuisine for lunch is about as easy as it gets - there really isn't a good excuse for not making such an easy change.

I'll be posting my progress - anybody that happens to read this, please feel free to check up on me if you see that I'm not posting progress.  A little accountability goes a long way.  =)