The New Eve - Lewis Robert [58]
Take a moment and see what comes to mind as you take a pencil and fill out the diagram on the next page. Don't try to fill out the whole diagram at this time. One or two simple answers under each column will suffice for now. For example, you might say I want to be a writer, I want to help orphans in my city, I want to enjoy traveling the world, I want to have healthy, well-adjusted children who know Jesus Christ, I want to be financially generous to others, especially in kingdom work. When you're finished, reflect for a moment on what you've recorded. Does it reflect what you really want in life? Does it reflect what you believe as a Christian? If it doesn't, what's missing? If it does, are the choices you are making right now moving you toward your goals? If not, why? As I said, this exercise is a simple way for you to begin formulating your life's end goals. So give it a try.
To make the most of this exercise, make a copy of this diagram and put it in your Bible. Periodically review and refine your end goals. Always use a pencil so you can make changes. In time, this should become your life compass.
Conclusion
The apostle Paul stated this advice best. To paraphrase him in Ephesians 5:15–17, be careful how you live your life, not as an unwise woman, but as one who is wise, making the most of your life, because the days are evil. Don't be foolish but understand the will of the Lord.
A New Eve takes this admonition very seriously. She doesn't want her life to be wasted. She wants it to be purposeful before God. She wants it to count. Therefore, she does whatever she can to make sure her life is pointed at those things that she knows count most. She works and prays to discern what the will of the Lord uniquely is for her and then lives in its light. This effort is the fourth bold move of every New Eve for navigating life successfully. Here it is:
Live with the end in mind.
10
Engaging a Man
They were on their way to a wedding.
It would be a lavish affair, so Carolyn had to have exactly the right dress. Something high-end, of course, but modest in appearance. Carolyn knew from experience that the photographers—there would be at least a dozen—would be as apt to shoot her as the bride, but the last thing she wanted to do was steal the show. After hours of searching the racks at Saks Fifth Avenue, she found what she wanted. As she left the store, Carolyn was surprised to see that the sun had already ducked well below the western edge of the cityscape. It was getting late. She’d better hurry.
Across town, John Kennedy Jr. noticed the time too. He picked up his sister-in-law, Lauren, and headed for the municipal airport as quickly as he could. But traffic was bad. So were the gawkers. Pedestrians, street vendors, and other drivers—they all craned their necks to get a look at John in his shiny white convertible. Traffic crawled.
By the time John and Lauren met Carolyn at the hangar, night was beginning to fall. John scrambled to get his small plane ready for takeoff. As a new pilot, he was not yet instrument-rated. He was licensed to pilot a plane only when visual conditions were good. He checked the darkening sky several times and listened to the FAA weather report.
All clear. John could handle this.
At twelve minutes after sundown, John roared down the runway in his Piper Saratoga. Carolyn and her sister chatted behind him. Moments after being airborne, a thick haze developed, veiling the sky. John struggled to see his way. He aimed his plane out over the ocean toward Martha's Vineyard. But as time went on, he began to doubt himself. He glanced down at his instrument panel, but it was no use. Too complex. The dials and numbers meant nothing to him.
As conditions worsened, John lost all his bearings. Up and down,