Christian Living

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Don’t Forget to Take These with You
By Dan Blankenship


So you’ve finished school and you’re ready to tackle your future as an essential part of this giant experiment called capitalism. I congratulate you on your past achievements, and I would like to offer a few suggestions on what to pack as you set off on your adventurous future:

1. Remember to include patience in your grip. You will run into many others who have tossed this word from their vocabulary. As you encounter such individuals, remember what Proverbs 19:11 says: “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”

2. Always keep a dose of humility at your side. There will be days when the sickness of pride will cause your stomach to quiver from embarrassment or ridicule. Remember what Proverbs tells us concerning such events: “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.” (Proverbs 18:12)

3. Take with you a verbal contract to remind you who it is you actually work for. Although we receive a paycheck from a company or our own business ventures, our boss is probably not listed anywhere on the company letterhead. Colossians 3:23-24 clearly tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

4. Pack within your character a remembrance of the ugliness of abused authority, and commit yourself to be humble and fair when influence and command are given to you. “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

5. Be sure to bring a fondness for wisdom on your journey. Learning is a never ending process that will enhance every aspect of your life. Read books not related to your field of expertise. Watch documentaries that draw your interests, and be willing to suffer through a few you think might not be so interesting. Talk to people from all walks of life with genuine curiosity in what they have to offer in the way of knowledge. The more you learn about the world the more fascinating God’s creation becomes. As I child, Jesus “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

6. Fill an imaginary flask with reminders to quench your mouth when angry words want to escape from it. There will be times when the arrogance and ignorance of others will nearly shatter your civility. Remember that a fool’s greatest achievement is to make the man he is ridiculing look as foolish as himself. Proverbs 18:7 says, “A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.”

7. Include in your packing a stick for which to fight off worry. You will undoubtedly struggle with this human weakness. We have been trained since childhood to “get ready” for this or to “prepare” for that, but life is going to throw you some curveballs that you won’t expect. However, if you have faith in the Lord, you will have the strength, courage, and fortitude to overcome any obstacle that the world can place in your path. As Jesus says in Luke 12:22-26, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are then birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

8. And as a final item, I recommend packing a great deal of love in your travel case; love for your God, love for your family, and love for those you encounter as you make your way forward in life. People might or might not remember how high up you made it in the corporate world, but there is little doubt people will remember the amount of love and compassion you showed for your fellow man as you walked, climbed, and ran the miles of your long journey. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:10-12)

Pack these items with you and though the journey may be rough, I guarantee you will have what you need to help you along the rocky path.

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