God Bless the Broken Road

Mitch: "Chris? What are you doing out there on the roof?"
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Chris: "I was just pondering the immortal words of Socrates, when he said...'I drank what?'"

............................(from the film Real Genius)

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Socrates, perhaps the most famous of all the Greek philosophers, in perhaps his most famous of all quotations, was popularized as having said something along the lines of this:

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"The unexamined life is not worth living."

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More than merely a quotation, this sentiment was quite simply, in today's terms, Socrates life verse and mission statement. And despite their reputation in the historical imagination as being a philosophical race, it is clear that not all the Greeks in Socrates day chose to live "the examined life" as he put it. After all, if they had why would Socrates be so famous for saying something so obvious? (And why would they have killed him for saying it?)

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But one thing is for sure: Socrates would probably have a harder time finding individuals living "an examined life" in our world today than he did in his own ancient Greece. Because an 'examined life' requires a lot of "down time", a lot of silence, a lot of contemplation, a lot of reflection - and a healthy amount of deep thought. And let's face it...

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...Who has the time for such luxuries?

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Then again, maybe that was Socrates' point. That the contemplative life wasn't a luxury. That without it life wasn't even worth living.

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Strong words, we know. But Socrates is widely considered one of the wisest men in the history of western civilization...so who are we to dismiss his opinions out-of-hand?

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So before the impetus of the "clean slate" of the New Year has slipped away entirely, we want to encourage you to set aside some time to seriously reflect on the past year from the unique perspective offered here along the Warrior's Path.

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Back in junior high we had a youth group leader who was famous (not quite as famous as Socrates, but then again most people don't get really famous until they're dead, so he's still got a shot) for asking us this same series of three penetrating and uncomfortable questions: "What have you learned? How have you grown? And so what?"

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What have you learned?

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How have you grown?

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And so what?

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Not a bad series of questions, even today. Would certainly be a step in the direction for an "examined life" if we were to get even this far.

But that isn't the whole story, is it?
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Certainly not if you are living awakened to the spiritual realm, anyway. Because if you are, your life looks a lot less like a bible study small group and a lot more like a war zone. Sure, ground was gained in 2010 (hopefully)...but some ground was taken by the Enemy as well (more than likely). Yes, there were victories this past year, and it is a crucial part of our encouragement that we remember them often...but there were also defeats, and we are fooling ourselves if we think those defeats haven't impacted us.

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So, we think there are some other useful questions you need to ask as you look back on 2010 and "examine" your life. Like:

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'What sort of wounds did my heart take in 2010, and what have I done with them? Am I a little more shut-down than I was a year ago, a little less likely to trust and believe...other people and God? We know that the thief comes to steal, and kill, and destroy (John 10:10), so what, if anything, was stolen from me this year? A piece of my heart? A measure of joy? A thread of hope? And what was killed? A friendship? A vision? A dream? And what was destroyed? A career? A marriage? A life?'

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See how much insight into your story can only come from taking account of your whole situation?

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The Apostle claims that "We are not unaware of the devil's schemes." But most of the time in our day and age he is just plain wrong. We aren't aware. We are oblivious. Oblivious to what is happening around us - and who is to blame for which part of it. Oblivious to the threat and danger that stalks our lives. Oblivious to trials, toils and snares we just passed through in 2010, how they have impacted us, and how we carry the scars into the next chapter of our story.

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Oblivious is not the same thing as unscathed, by the way. All it really means is that we are unaware, unexamined, undiagnosed, and unhealed.

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We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto. And we aren't in junior high, either. There is a villain to the story we have fallen into, and he wasn't idle in 2010. Are you prepared to fight him in 2011?

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Take some time this weekend and review the past year. Rejoice in the good moments. Soak in them a second time. Tell your Daddy how much they meant to you, and how much you hope He will "do it again" in the days to come.

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But look at the painful moments too. The harrowing adventures. The narrow escapes. The levels of your 'love tank' and your 'hope chest'. There was character development taking place through the twists and turns of the previous chapter, the one we are calling 2010 - don't be unaware of how you have changed.

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Examine yourself. Write your story. Write it as if it had happened to some other character, not to yourself. See what you discover.

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Looking back to move forward,

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Derrick and David