FRUITFUL & FULFILLED An Abundant Life Self-AssessmentSample

1. Start With Personal Preparation

“The Christian life is very much like climbing a hill of ice. You cannot slide up. You have to cut every step with an ice axe. Only with incessant labor in cutting and chipping can you make any progress. If you want to know how to backslide, leave off going forward. Cease going upward and you will go downward of necessity. You can never stand still.” —C. H. Spurgeon

C. H. Spurgeon reminds us that failure to plan will keep us from making forward progress. In fact, we will lose ground! 

When we “go with the flow,” life gets harder. When we do the harder things up front—like personal planning—life gets easier. 

It all starts with personal preparation. 

Here are 10 considerations to help you make the most of this abundant life self-assessment:

1. Life can never be perfectly balanced; but it is important to include everything and everyone who is important to you.
2. Being in community is important (encouragement and support of friends); but being in solitude is too (retreat).
3. Busyness is not the problem, but a hurried pace of life is. This includes the lack of stopping to pray, not resting in between our many daily activities, and not taking a weekly Sabbath rest.
4. When planning events, trips, vacations, always look back and ahead. Plan a day or two on both ends.
5. When you start planning, place the “big rocks” on your calendar—things that will not change, such as quiet time, meals, drive time, work, getting ready, exercise, and so forth.
6. Prioritize your daily and weekly activities.
7. Create margin on your calendar each week (be flexible).
8. Set clear boundaries and learn to say "no."
9. Success is not measured by the outcome, but by the progress you make from where you began.
10. Once you plan, trust God to determine your steps.