Just finished The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. One of those simple but profound books!
Book in one sentence: "Direction - not intention - determines destination".
Quick Review:
Ch. 1 - Embracing the principle of the path is the key to avoiding regret. "Experience is a brutal teacher."
Ch. 2 - "Direction - not intention - determines destination." Simply put, you and I will win or lose by the paths we choose.
Ch. 3 - "Nobody wants to wake up in his fifties and wish he had made different decisions in his thirties."
Ch. 4 - "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." (Prov. 27:12) "The primary difference between the prudent and the simple is not what they see but what they do with what they see."
Ch. 5 - When shopping we should always translate the cashier's question "cash or credit?" as "happy later or now?"
Ch. 6 - Choosing the right paths begins with submission not information. (Prov. 3:5-6)
Ch. 7 - To cut through the emotion that accompanies ALL decisions filter decisions through these 3 questions:
Does it violate God's law?
Does it violate a principle of God?
In light of the story I want to tell in the future, is this the wise thing to do?
Ch. 8 - Private decisions ALWAYS become public so don't make them in private.
Ch. 9 - "Attention determines direction which determines destination." Whatever or whoever you've chosen to give your attention will determine the direction of your life.
"We never drift in good directions." (Heb. 2:1)
Ch. 10 - Tough chapter to read but so important. It is entitled "Road Closed". Using David's story when his own son Absalom turned on him and his authority Andy wrote, "When it dawns on you that your dreams can't come true, the best response is to lean hard into your heavenly Father - even when it appears that he is responsible for your disappointment."
My personal takeaway: When it comes to raising my kids, I don't want to be the dad who in his fifties regrets his investment into his family when he was in his thirties. I want to invest in my kids daily in some way. I have also created my "reminder jar" which I mentioned here. God please help me become a Godly dad.
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