Filling Your Jar of Awesomeness

A popular podcast host, Tim Ferriss, talked about his “jar of awesomeness”. Whenever anything good happened in his life or any small victories, he wrote it down on a slip of paper and placed in into a large glass jar. Since he had a strong tendency to dwell on the negative, he needed visible reminders that his work mattered.

Do you have a Jar of Awesomeness in your office or at your home?

Perhaps we all need one.

Positive comments, successes and compliments have a short shelf life. They are like perishable food items that quickly spoil.

Every win in life  every time you nail it, we receive a few smiles, a few high-fives with co-workers and family members, then all too quickly say to ourselves, “yea, whatever” and move on to the next day, the next project, or some other problem that needs to be solved.

Negative comments, failures, and complaints have a longer shelf life. They stay in the cupboards of our mental pantry for years and never spoil.

Every time we mess-up tends to be treated like a doomsday event. Outwardly we tell ourselves that it will be okay. Co-workers and family members give pats of encouragement, but the devastation of messing up can be crippling. Our inner voice – if unfettered – can routinely and unexpectedly deliver sharp pangs of guilt and remorse.

I hate when that happens.

Owning a jar of awesomeness may not be a bad idea for personal evangelism.

Perhaps the greatest barrier for many Christians to overcome is not learning what to proclaim but having the courage to say something. Guilt, the fear of messing up again can rob faithful Christian believers from participating in one of the greatest exercises of our faith – proclaiming the Good News to others.

And pastors are not immune to this either.

A pastor may carefully prepare and deliver a message on Sunday morning and receive handshakes and a few complimentary remarks by wonderful faithful members. But what do they reflect upon on Monday morning?

A grumpy member who makes an unloving comment.

A prospect family who were not there… again.

Empty seats rather then ones who filled them.

Any golden moment of joy can quickly evaporate when Monday morning greets us with new challenges, old problems, and a guilty complex.

A jar of awesomeness may not be enough, but it may be a good start.

There are times when we feel stuck in life, when activities don’t seem to be gaining traction, when results don’t seem to match our perceived efforts.

Some experts talk about the importance of keeping a daily journal. There are books that help people record measurable goals and celebrating victories. I began to apply this in my life, and it has made a difference.

I record each positive comment and reflect upon each goal accomplished.

I have discovered that small victories matter in the big picture by helping sustain momentum to accomplish difficult and greater tasks.

Like personal evangelism.

Praise and Proclaim believes in celebrating small victories. This means trusting the power of God’s Word over our ability to share words with others. It means that God uses every gospel seed that is planted even though we may never see the results.

And sometimes, the greatest victory occurs when a faithful Christian shows up, steps way outside of their comfort zones, and provides a short reason for the hope they have in Christ whenever God provides opportunities.

Whenever Christian believers proclaim God’s Word – and do so with love and respect – its impossible to mess up!  And that is something we ought to record and put in a glass jar. Because that is awesome!

Keeping our cup full

Now, I don’t have a “jar of awesomeness” on display in my office, but I ought to have something else that is far more important.

A Styrofoam cup.

A pastor once gave a visible reminder of God’s grace for the young men and women who sat before him on their confirmation.

He held out a Styrofoam cup full of water. He told them that on our baptism day, our cups overflow with the water of God’s grace. However, sin pokes tiny holes into our cup and the water that once overflowed begins to leak out. But God in his wisdom has provided us with his means of grace that freely and generously pours the water into our cup to keep it overflowing. Not good works or happy feelings – nice compliments or projects completed – but the waters of God’s grace that gives us peace and purpose, patience and perseverance, and the will to remain in his embrace.

I like recording victories, compliments, and remembrances that God is working in me, through me, and for me each day of my life. But I can’t plug all the leaks in my flimsy cup no matter how hard I try. When guilt is overwhelming, I remind myself of the awesome victory that Christ won for me – and that promise is enough.