Contributor: Ryan Moffat, BS in Bible and Theology from Multnomah University. Pastor of Vast Church.
“The unevaluated life is not even worth living”
-Howard Hendricks
When my wife, Michelle, and I first got married one of the most painful things that I absolutely HATED doing was our monthly bills together at the end of the month. With a combined income of just over $1400 and expenses pushing about $1387 (if we stayed on our budget perfectly).
It was absolutely exhausting and depressing to sit down at our “hand-me-down” kitchen table for a pathetic excuse for our date night to only sit and pay the bills and go over our budget together.
Importance of taking inventory
As painful as those early days were (and believe me, we definitely do not want to go back in that direction anytime soon) they were formative in that they taught Michelle and I the importance of taking inventory.
When you take inventory it requires courage because you have to confront the brutal facts. You can’t whitewash, manipulate or control the persona you work so hard to display.
When you take inventory you have to look at everything happening in you, around you and because of you and are forced to move from behavior (what’s easily seen on the outside) to the motivations (what is happening on the inside).
Taking inventory is the self-discipline looking deeply into the motivational structure of your own heart and asking the real questions of yourself such as:
- Why am I doing what I’m doing?
- What are my deepest fears?
- How are those fears driving my behavior?
- What is it that I most want?
- Have I sacrificed relationships and people because of false beliefs?
These are some of the important questions of self-reflection.
Courage to take inventory
While not many people are courageous or honest enough to do the hard work of taking personal inventory the benefits are immense.
You become an individual that is unencumbered because you no longer carry the weight, the guilt, the shame and the pressure of all the stuff that is weighing you down.
Those who take the time to do self-evaluation and self-management become the strongest sources of life and joy in creating healthy communities for others to flourish.
Have you taken the time to move deeply into the motivations of your own heart? Have you recently asked the question; “What is it that I most fear and I most want?”
Howard Hendricks said at the end of a long, fruitful, useful life and ministry that “The un-evaluated life isn’t worth living.” Take the time, look inside and live the life!
Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!
How has taking a moral inventory of yourself impacted your recovery from addiction? What advice do you have to share?
About the Author: Ryan received his BS in Bible and Theology and a minor in counseling from Multnomah University. He has pastored students, families and is passionate about Christ-centered recovery and healing. He’s been married to his beautiful wife Michelle for 13 years and they enjoy raising four crazy, unique and special kids together. Ryan is the teaching pastor at Vast Church in Sisters, OR and is currently working on his Masters in Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, OR
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Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on December 28, 2015
Published on AddictionHope.com