Taking Inventory

I've been leading an eight week study with John Baker's book Life's Healing Choices. This last week we were on Choice 7:

❝Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.❞

Needless to say, it's been a powerful, often times heart wrenching choice, because I have to review my inventory in three different ways -- ways I'd never thought about before in the past. Relapse for anyone struggling with an issue is so easy if we don't learn to recognize it and learn how to pull ourselves back on track.

Maybe you have an addict in your life and are thinking, "I'm not the one who needs help!" The truth is that we all struggle with something that is slowing down our relationship with Christ or bringing it to a complete halt altogether.

Lately, for me, it's been jealousy.

Yes, I know, maybe that doesn't sound too serious, but for me it is. When I struggle with jealousy, it usually means I'm wanting exactly what that other person has and I'll cry and hate the world until I get my way. This week has been particularly bad for me. The other day I collapsed into tears when I heard the good news another friend of mine had to share. I've been working so long to get exactly what she has that immediately I was angry, bitter, hateful, spiteful . . . you name it, that was me!

But here's the thing -- after working through the choices in this book, I instantly recognized my slide back into someone I didn't want to be. I was focusing too much of my energy on this other person and I knew that my bitter mood would lead me no where good. So, the next day, I sat down, did a mental inventory of my behavior and where I needed to be. I dug my heels in and focused on what God has for me, not what he has for somebody else. His still voice has been with me all along in my journey and I had to calm myself and listen to what He was saying.

And you know what He was saying?

"It's my timing, not yours. Remember that."

And I will continue to remember that.

According to Baker's book, hear are the three types of inventory we need to be doing:

1. Spot-check evaluation: Try to deal with that problem immediately. The longer you postpone dealing with it, the worse it gets.
2. Daily review: Find a quiet time at the end of each day to review your failures and victories for the day. 
3. Annual checkup: This is your spring cleaning for the year! Look at your life, see what's in order and what's not, and do some deep cleaning.

Do you struggle with something that you must remember to keep in check? Do you ever take a personal inventory?