The Charlois Life
Well, it has been quite a journey, from March, 2015, when it was decided that I would no longer be serving as pastor of the Concord / Neave churches, to today where I am living the “abundant life.” With the former, I began a decline into the world of identity crises; with the current I am beginning to come to realize what true abundance is. While on this journey I have learned some valuable lessons.
Unquestionably the most valuable of these lessons is that if we want to live abundant lives, we must remain true to self. For twenty-six years I served in various ministry roles within the United Methodist Church. Being a person with a pastor’s heart it was easy to equate doing these ministries to being who I was. Little did I realize that the little sacrifices I had to make in order to stay within the parameters of church doctrine were eating away at my life satisfaction.
I am not saying that I was unhappy, in fact some of the happiest times of my life were doing ministry within the church. But happiness does not equal life satisfaction. In order to live a fulfilled life, we need to be doing that which is at our core of being. For me that is helping people find out who they were created to be and living that life, regardless of what others might say, and they say a lot.
Even before our birth we are receiving input as to the way things should be. Throughout our lives we are given guidance as to which direction our lives should take, often times without regard to our desires. Granted, most of the time these nudges are out of love and with the best of intentions, but they do little to satisfy the soul. Only a calling from God has that power, and when we receive such a calling it is unmistakable, but not easy to follow.
So go, discover who you are at the center of your being, and live out of that truth.
The road to true life satisfaction is rarely an easy one. We are given all kinds of challenges to overcome and lessons to learn, however by overcoming these struggles we appreciate the results more fully. That is a lesson I have learned after these many years. I now savor the simple things of life and in their abundance, I find contentment. That is one of the keys to abundant living.
In the name of God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; now and forever. God bless.
Robert A. Charlois III
