Life Altering AHA’s with ACHUCKAllen
We have all had them. Those moments in our lives when the light bulb goes off in our brain and you experience…wait for it…The Big AHA! I can’t document all of life’s AHA’s over the past 57 years, but I can share a few of them. I believe so deeply that the Divine allows us to have these AHA’s through several different ways. Some AHA’s are serendipitous, many are after great seasons of preparation or study. But my greatest AHA’s have come from time spent with the Divine in meditation.
I’ll never forget my 7th-grade algebra teacher saying. “Allen, one of these days, you’re just going to get it.” With all due respect to him, I’m still waiting. So, algebra and most any math problem that involves words and letters are not part of this BLOG post in any possible way! But here are three pretty awesome AHA’s!
- The Divine wants to spend time with His creation. I was 44 years old and at a serious crossroads in my life. I was several years into my wife’s battle with cancer. I was flying back and forth between Houston and Atlanta. Jeanine was receiving treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and my kids were at home in Atlanta. I was trying to hold down a job that required a good bit of travel, and life was insanely hectic. After boarding yet another 6:00 am flight back to Atlanta, I wanted to do what I usually did. I wanted to sleep. For whatever reason, I couldn’t sleep to save my life. The only book I had with me was my Bible, so I started reading through the Psalms. By the time I landed in Atlanta and hiked to my car, drove to the office and then home later that day, I was so energized. My normal posture at the end of that day would have been exhaustion. I was pretty jacked up. As I crawled into bed, late that night, I was so incredibly at peace with my life’s path. I had heard from the Divine. He had showered me with comfort, peace, strength and healing. It was at that moment that the AHA was that God wanted me to want to spend my most valuable time with HIM. And when I did, He poured His best over my life. Let that become a big AHA for you. All it will cost you is time.
- Human applause is fleeting. I’ve had a few roles that had a bit of authority. I began noticing that when you control money, promotion or opportunity for others, you are a really popular guy. I also noticed that when my life fell apart there were less than a handful of folks that actually stuck with me. I’m not angry, although I once was. I’m not bitter, but I once was. I’m not hurt, yet I once was. I’m confident. Confident that the only applause that matters is the Spirit of God patting me on the back saying, “Thatta boy, you’re growing up. You are learning what really matters to me.” Don’t find yourself caught in false relationships. Don’t buy the lie that you need a bigger platform. The single biggest platform you can have is serving the King of Kings.
- Time is not like money. When I had money, life was easier. When I had no money, life was harder. When I had nothing, life was hell. When I realized that I could recover from losing everything – that was priceless. But it’ll cost you something. I spent some of my most valuable hours sweating bullets over money. When money is lost, you can make it back and make it right. When time is lost, it’s gone forever. I’ve been given the same amount of time as Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, or Winston Churchill. The issue isn’t that I don’t have time. The real issue is what will I do with it? Once you turn the corner of 50, you start recognizing your own mortality. I want every minute to count for something significant. I want to end the cycle of poverty and incomplete seasons of education for the kids in my community. I want to leave my church with no debt. I want to bring encouragement to thousands. I want to create a self-sustaining neighborhood for single parents in the middle of life’s difficult transitions. I want to leave a legacy of Christ-honoring writing that will outlive me. I want to lead a 131-year-old church into a new day of multi-ethnic, color blind fellowship that resembles both Lanier High School and Heaven’s racial demographics. A place filled with folks that are black, white, brown, red, green, yellow, orange and turquoise. Those are worth spending time on. But the real investment is made in my time growing old and sassy with Jenny, loving our girls through the hardships in life, and loving our grandkids into Heaven so we can play for eternity.
What are some of your AHA’s? I promise you that they are out there. The three I’ve mentioned and hundreds more have been found and proven in my time of meditation with the Divine. That’s why we have created “The Daily AHA.” A simple weekday guide that will feed you the Holy Scriptures and how you can READ, RESPOND and REACT to them.You can be a part of hundreds of folks participating by downloading the APP HERE.
Life’s AHA’s are too rich to neglect. Commit to investing 15 minutes in hunting for them and enjoying the moments when the Divine blows your mind and you get to shout AHA!
Peace,
AChuck