Purpose I: Disciple

Welcome to our continuing series of "Let's Make a New Life", based on Craft the Life You Want: Creating a Blueprint for Your Future at artofmanliness.com. Today's exercise, based on yesterday's prioritization of roles, is to define a purpose for each role.

How do we do this, you may ask? Simple. Taking a page for Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, essentially one needs to write an obituary for each role. Imagine it is your funeral and you're attending. Various family members, co-workers, social connections, and other parts or members of your life are there. What is it that you would like them to say about you?

Fine then. Going from the top of the list (let me unroll it here), I see the first role identified as the most important role is that of Disciple. For myself, that means being a follower of Jesus. So, what do I want people to say about the witness of my life after I die:

"I want my family and friends to say that I had lived my life as an authentic Christian - not just someone who had the label and went to church on Sunday, but someone who actually practiced (to the best of his ability) the teachings and commandments of Christ, who had a real relationship with God, who made the concept of a loving and holy God credible, who could be a Christian and at the same time be a real person."

Okay. Sort of a tall order as I look at it there. However, for this one role, there is one other person that needs to be consulted: God. He's actually the One majorly involved, not me. What do I want God to say about the witness of my life after I die:

"Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Master."

As I write this words, I find myself a bit overcome by what I'm proposing. Do I mean this? Do I really mean this? Or is it just something I am writing because that's what I'm "supposed" to write?

I don't think it's the latter - but it sure overwhelms me if it's the former.