Fulfilled Life Blog

What does it mean to live a fulfilled life? As we look around there seem to be so many pictures of what this actually means. We can see good pictures of a happy family and successful career to pictures of being wealthy and having all kinds of toys like fast cars, a hot partner, and the latest gizmo. So how can one actually measure to see if one is living or is on track to live a fulfilled life.

There are 3 things in our lives that we can look at to begin to access our lives. This list is not complete by any means but would give one a good place to begin.

1. How are your relationships? When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandments were, He answered by affirming to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. We are not in this world by ourselves but have all kinds of communities we interact with. We can access our lives by asking, “How is my relationship with God?” “How am I enjoying the Creator?” “How are relationships with my coworkers, schoolmates, family friends?” “Am I angry at anyone?” There are many other questions which could be asked but we are relational beings. Even the one who is an introvert still has a few close individuals who they know.

2. How are you integrated with yourself? As we continue to access our lives we must understand that we are complex beings. We have  social (which we already spoke about), physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components to who we are. We are mind, spirit, and body. If we don’t pay attention to certain areas in our lives, it can leave the rest in shambles. If one wanted to be spiritual and yet never ate or worked out, they would find their body wasting away. If one was always investing in the physical and ignored the spiritual, when troubled times came they probably have a tough time finding peace. To live a fulfilled life partially means we try to integrate all of our components together healthily.

3. Do you feel you are living with purpose and moving in that direction? There is a proverb which states “without vision people perish.” Do you have goals that you feel that you have been made for? These goals can look a lot of different ways for a lot of different people. A teacher, a police officer, a military member, and so many other professions bring people purpose. However it isn’t always the profession that brings purpose. To have a profession where you influence others positively bring purpose. You could have a janitor that loves people living in their purpose compared to a cop who hates people not living their purpose. While we may be preparing for some purpose ahead, always know that we have purpose where we are at.

These are just a few thoughts on living a fulfilled life. One last thought – God created each individual unique so each fulfilled life will look different. Don’t try to live someone else’s life, but live yours.

Fulfilled Life would love to journey with you as you live your life. We offer spiritual direction and chaplain services and can join you no matter what season you are in. The initial consultation and assessment is always free so feel free to contact us or refer a friend.

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Last Sunday was the first Sunday in about 9 months or so that I have been back to the church where we used to attend. The worship was good. The community was awesome. It indeed felt like home. However, I was curious to see how I would interact with the sermon. The sermon was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to a house church where everyone could interact with the message of the day. Part of adult learning theories state that adults learn best by being involved with the instruction or by participating.

So I began to meditate on how I could get the most from the sermon I was about to hear. Granted it doesn’t matter who the individual is, if you have a mindset to learn, one can learn from anyone. I would like to think that I learn from individuals all the time with my interactions with them. I hope that I provide an atmosphere where they could learn from me as well.

Even though you may have a mindset to learn, it may help to have a mindset on how to set up a mindset to learn. This is where my thoughts were having some confusion. What is the best way that I can learn from this sermon?

Let me put some things in context before I answer the question. I have been going to and involved in church life consistently for the past 12 years. I have interacted with the subject material and have a pretty decent memory. With regards to the individual who was preaching this past Sunday, he is only a few years older then me so his life experiences while may be different then mine, does not excessively exceed my life. We have both been involved in the same church network for many years and have even attended some of the same conferences. So most the information that he has gleaned from the church network, I have probably as well. Additionally we have about the same number of years in ministry although his has been at church and mine in the hospital and hospice. Finally in regards to education he may have a Bachelor degree of Religion from the church network and I have a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia International University.

So in all fairness, this individual who is preaching probably will not say a lot which I have not already heard. In other people’s cases, some individuals may have sat underneath the same pastor for so long that they may have heard the majority of what that pastor has to say. So then, what is the best way that we can learn from a sermon if we are involved in cases like these?

I think the best way to learn is to honestly access where you think you are in learning and to develop your goals in learning. Understanding that not everyone will be in the same place in learning, allows you the freedom to grow and take ownership of your learning. While those who give sermons can only speak at a certain level, the power of God and your plans for learning can take the message to the level that is needed for you.

There is a theory of learning called Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Levels. In basic Bloom addresses the different levels of learning that is cognitive based (the mind). The different levels are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Below is a chart which explains the different levels of learning and potentials on how to apply it in your own growth.

Now granted you may read through this list and think that you may do each of these. And you may in certain levels. Or you may say, “Well not sure about a few of them but I certainly evaluate sermons.” However, how can evaluation be truly 100% effective if you have not analyzed what was said? Each level predicates that the previous level has been given some thought. Granted if someone is spewing ignorance, there is not much need to try to comprehend the message. But we are speaking about sitting in a church in which you have a history and agreement in relationship, purpose, and thought.

So what does this look like for personal growth? For someone new to Christianity, they probably would want to get a foundation of understanding the information being presented, understand what it means to them and their life, and learn to apply these lessons in their lives. For someone who has been in the church longer, understand that even though you have been in Christianity for a while, some information being presented might be something new that you have not thought of before. However if you have heard the information before, you can go deeper with the information. You can give more thought comparing this lesson to others, to create new ways for you to apply it in your life and new ways to present the information.

Ultimately God wants us to grow into His likeness, in deeper relationship with Him, and into a deeper understanding of Him. The best way to do this is to take ownership of your growth and not relying on a pastor alone. The pastor there is to help equip you, help you, and mentor you. The Holy Spirit is there to teach you. But you have to be the one who wants to go deeper and the one who steps out to grow.