Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 2 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio in The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Since I will be recording  either from “The Big House“ in Marietta, or from our “Home 2,” which is located south of Charlotte, North Carolina, you may hear external sounds of the outdoors, such as birds singing or other noises which. Instead of being distracting, it will add to our authenticity of life.  I may not always present a perfect podcast/journal, but I will provide valuable content in an excellent manner.

So let’s begin. Today I want to focus on what tools are needed to have a successful trek to gain wisdom.  On Day 0 we set up base camp, and I was able to introduce myself so that you could get to know me better. On Day 1 we discussed the Guidelines for a Successful Trek.

If you have not taken the opportunity to listen to these podcasts or read the corresponding journals, I would encourage you to do so.  I would also encourage you to subscribe on iTunes or your favorite media site, so that these daily episodes will download automatically for you.

I will use the analogies of hiking throughout my episodes, because it ties into our lives as we trek through each day.  With any camping experience, hiking or trek that we experience, as with life each day, we need the proper tools and equipment to help us have a successful trek.

After we set up base camp on Day 0, on Day 1 we looked at the need to have a destination in mind, and establishing good habits or guidelines to reach that destination through the use of a compass, GPS, or map.  We realized that we may get off the path, but with the proper guidelines, the destination set, and the proper habits ingrained into the fabric of our lives, we can stay the course.

Today we want to look at the tools needed to have a successful trek, that will enable us to live abundantly (fully) and serve a purpose that is greater than ourselves.  In other words, what tools are needed to create a living legacy that positively impacts everyone that is in our world?

What are the tools that we need to have in our backpack for a successful Wisdom-Trek?  As a person of faith, many of my lessons and examples of wisdom will come from the Bible, because it has been the foundation for wisdom in my life.  Today the tools or the attributes that we want to study are taken from the book of Galatians [5:22]-23.  Just as I am your guide to wisdom, these tools should be part of everyone’s Trek for Wisdom.  These attributes are provided by God’s Spirit which guides my life.

These tools/attributes are referred to in Galatians as the “Fruit of the Spirit.”

If we see fruit on a tree, such as an apple, then we know what kind of tree it is because of its fruit.  In the same way, others will be able to tell what type of person we are, by the fruit or attributes that are manifested in our lives.  This is an important concept to grasp as we look at the various tools/attributes that we will need in our lives in order to be wise and create a living legacy.

As we explore these tools, I would like you to visualize your life as a wheel,  and particularly a bike tire with a hub and spokes extending from the hub.  Without the hub as the core or foundation, the remaining tools/spokes would not have anything to attach to, and the wheel would be broken and useless.  Click on the images below to access a full size PDF of these two tools so that you can plot how “well-rounded”  you are in each of the tools that we will discuss over the next 9 days.

The first tool/attribute, which will be the hub of the wheel, is love.  Without love, then the other tools/attributes (spokes) are not nearly as effective.  In order for the remaining tools to have impact on our successful  Wisdom-Trek we must love ourselves, and others unconditionally (as much as is humanly possible).  There is a song written by Hal David and composed by Burt Bacharach in 1965 (and sung by many since) called What the World Needs Now is Love. As in all ages of time, and especially today, these words hold true.  This is so true that Christ taught that the entire Scriptures can be summed up in two commands; Love God, and love others as yourself.  This is why love is the foundation tool for the others.

The remaining tools or spokes of our wheel are joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we relate this to our hiking or trek analogy, think of love as our backpack which carries all of other necessary components or tools.  It would be nearly impossible to hike a rough terrain without a backpack.  So it is impossible to integrate the other tools in our lives without love.  If we assimilate these nine tools into our everyday activities so they are manifested as fruit, then it will allow us to live successful and abundant lives. This is how integrity is built, by integrating these nine tools into our everyday lives.  When we do so successfully, our lives will impact our world, and we can begin to leave a living legacy. We should not wait until we are no longer on this trek of life to leave a legacy.  Let every action each day positively impact others.

Since love is the core/foundation tool (hub on our bike tire or backpack), let’s look at this tool a little closer.

1. Love: Do you love yourself?   If we do not have a proper love for ourselves, then we will not be able to love others properly.  What we refer to as “The Golden Rule” is to “treat others as you would like to be treated.” We might substitute love others as you would like to be loved.

  As humans we all want to be loved and treated well.  To create a living legacy you must love yourself, and then love others unconditionally.   This is very difficult, but honestly ask yourself, does my love for others have strings attached?  Is it based on their actions?  Unconditional love must be free from all conditions. This is difficult to achieve, but we must pursue this type of love.   This love does not necessarily give in to others, nor is it giving others everything they desire.  It is seeking out what is best for another person, regardless of how it may impact us. The best description of this type of love, that I have found, is located in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Let these words sink into your soul as I read this passage about what love is and is not:  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance…love will last forever. For a Full Color PDF of what love is and what it is not, please click on this graphic.

That will finish our podcast/journal for today. Please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.  We will continue to integrate these tools into our lives.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question in the comment form below, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

I would be honored if you would take the time to visit iTunes and subscribe so that Wisdom-Trek will be available for you each day automatically.

Please leave us a rating on each episode, and spread the word to everyone you know to join us on our Wisdom-Trek. Thank you!

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy the Journey, and Create a Great Day! See you tomorrow!