My Takeaways: Every Good Endeavour

I read this book by Timothy Keller over the course of a few months, finally finishing it in October 2022. It was not a long book, but I had to take pause every few pages to reflect on what I just read and think about how it applied to my life/thinking. Here are my main takeaways from the book:

1. Perspective – I am not defined by my work (or anything else actually). I am defined by God. He is my firm foundation. Everything else can be taken away. Rather than being core to “who I am” my work, family, friends, etc are blessings – I get to have them. This was a major paradigm shift for me because I grew up trying to find the tangible, commonly recognised ways of defining myself. The old paradigm led to many existential crises when these finite representations of self would hit a stumbling block. This ‘newer’ paradigm offers promises of peace, certainty in the midst of uncertainty, and joy in troubled times.

2. Redefining work – not in the book, but it made me think of this question: what is my work? Not just professional activities, but holistically. “Work” encompasses so much more than what I do to earn a living. How am I serving His Kingdom? How is God’s Kingdom being represented in my relationships with others (family, friends, colleagues, community)? Taking a more holistic view of work, gives an opportunity to ‘rest’ in Him more effectively because I am no longer restricting work to ‘professional’ duties. It opens the door for greater balance.

3. Boundaries – I have been slowly implementing these over the last couple of years, but I sometimes feel guilty. Because of past experiences with burnout, I know how important it is to establish boundaries in order to allow me to create a semblance of balance. Setting clear boundaries for work and rest gives me an opportunity to be present and not feel overwhelmed.

4. Priorities – know what is important. God first. Family second. Mission/work third. Implemented through boundaries.

5. Work/rest cycle – each is important to God. Rest is not bingeing on series. Rest is not shutting off mentally because I am depleted or burnt out. Biblical rest is actively meditating in His presence – fellowship, prayer, bible study. The Sabbath. When is mine? I am a chronic burnout subscriber. I need to put systems in place to prevent me getting to that point.

6. Mission – refining my personal mission statement as God has called me: to build people up, to heal, to empower, to be an advocate (a voice for the voiceless) – through teaching (traditional and non-traditional), writing, healing (clinical), research, advocacy. My experiences are my testimony.

#balance #bookreview #rest