Ever ticked all the boxes and still felt hollow? You got the promotion, hit the target, maybe even managed that January gym streak. And yet, somewhere underneath the achievement, there's this nagging sense that you're running hard but not actually getting anywhere.
In this refreshingly honest talk, Matt Edmundson opens up about flipping through his 2016 journals and finding the same resolutions we all write - get fitter, earn more money. But the question he never asked was: why? What he discovered wasn't a better productivity technique - it was an entirely different way of understanding who he was and why he was here.
Journey with us through:
Paul wrote to Corinth - a city obsessed with the Isthmian Games - using athletic imagery: "I do not run like someone running aimlessly. I do not fight like a boxer beating the air."
"That image of shadow boxing is striking. Lots of movement. Lots of sweat. But no contact. No impact. And that's what self-authored ambition often looks like - training hard, throwing punches, but not actually hitting anything that matters."
What we explore:
Key takeaway: We end up carrying a weight that was never really ours to carry.
What's the difference between writing your own story and being written into someone else's?
"The Christian paradigm offers something radically different. You're not the author of your story - you're being written into God's story. The days aren't a blank page we have to fill. They've already been written."
What we discover:
Key takeaway: You don't have to manufacture meaning - you receive it.
Acts 27 tells the story of Paul - a prisoner in chains aboard a ship caught in a horrendous storm for days. The crew threw cargo overboard. All hope was gone. Yet Paul stood up and said: "Take courage."
"How do you stay calm when everything around you is falling apart? Because Paul wasn't the author of this story. He was playing his part in God's story. He didn't control the storm, but he wasn't controlled by the storm either."
Key takeaway: Knowing whose story you're in changes everything.
Why do we set the goals we set?
Mike Harris shared how asking "why" behind his resolutions was challenging - because it highlighted insecurities he was trying to cover by getting stronger or fitter.
How do we discern what God wants?
Mike talked about his shift from PE teacher to self-employed gardener. The biggest factor? Community - people who could help him think things through rather than just going with instinct.
What about fear of getting it wrong?
Matt's response: "It's harder to miss God's will than people think. You run into the space...
