Don't Miss Your Life E-Book

Aaron Tredway

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 215

Beschreibung

Live life to the fullest. Nobody wants to look back on a disappointing, unfulfilled life. Why then are so many of us dissatisfied despite our goals and continual striving? In Don't Miss Your Life, Aaron Tredway reveals we're aimed at the wrong target: success. Despite our pursuit of something more, we are stuck chasing our idea of success instead of true significance. But we don't have to be rich or famous to lead a life of meaning in God's kingdom. In this practical guide, Aaron shares his personal discovery of the secret to significance and invites you to live the life God created you for. Learn to - recognize the exhausting emptiness of pursuing success, - find liberation from a life without purpose, - pursue God's glory instead of unrewarding self-focus, and - choose significance over success one step at a time.You were made for a meaningful, deeply fulfilling life, and you can achieve just that.

Leseprobe

Aaron has a unique way of communicating through humor, personal experience, and biblical insight. In Don’t Miss Your Life, he exposes the emptiness and deceptiveness of our pursuit of success. In the end, you’re left with a compelling decision to change course.

Tom Petersburg, president, Catapult Ministries; former chaplain, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Cavaliers

You are meant to be here. Yes, holding this book...but also here on earth. The problem is that too many people miss their purpose or don’t know how to uncover it. This book can help! Aaron takes you on a fun, inspirational, story-filled journey that will give you tangible and practical next steps to help you move toward your best life. I am excited for you!

Ben Snyder, lead pastor, CedarCreek Church

In the athletic world, I’ve experienced what Aaron describes in Don’t Miss Your Life: a life lived in pursuit of success, which only leads to emptiness. This book has given me practical steps to live for significance that glorifies God.

Travis Hafner, former Major League Baseball player (17-year career)

Everyone has a story, a gift, a purpose…and a target. Aaron clearly and directly challenges you to question your target in life. Don’t Miss Your Life will challenge you to evaluate what your identity is anchored in and evaluate how you are using your time, talent, and treasure. If your life feels less than full, this book illustrates grounded truths to provide a pathway toward significance.

Marshall Croom, retired CFO, Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

Struggling on the treadmill of success? Searching for significance in all the wrong places? Don’t Miss Your Life has the secret to discovering and redefining success and significance in a world that fills us with false hope. As a former professional athlete, I’ve been to the top of my profession only to have it all seemingly taken away. I’ve also experienced the same in business and in my family life. Those peaks and valleys can lure and deceive the best of us into a repetitive cycle that never ends. Don’t Miss Your Life will point you to the answer you’ve been looking for: the abundant life Jesus has to offer. Aaron’s winsome truth telling will capture your heart and mind in a unique way, spur you to evaluate your life, and encourage you to make the necessary changes that lead to true significance!

Steve Shak, managing director, Northwestern Mutual; former number one draft pick, Major League Soccer

At some point, we all find ourselves looking for our purpose in life, asking ourselves where we fit and how we will find our place. In Don’t Miss Your Life, Aaron does an incredible job of helping us find our unique purpose and understand how this purpose is part of a much bigger story than we could have ever imagined. Don’t miss out on reading this book. I’m confident it will help you find the life you’ve always been looking for.

George Franco, president, Franco Trucking, Inc.

Don’t Miss Your Life is a wonderful mix of stories and lessons that creates deeper thoughts about what God really wants for our lives no matter what situations we encounter. Great read!

Anna Latkovic, president, Ghurka

As a professional athlete, I often get asked if I find my life purpose running track. I always say no. When I’m not as stressed as other athletes before a huge competition, people ask why. It’s hard to put a response into words, but this book contains those words! Read Don’t Miss Your Life if you want to live with less anxiety, a greater self-worth, and a much greater purpose. It’s a liberating way to live!

Jordan Gray, professional decathlete; founder, Let Women Decathlon

Have you ever felt empty no matter how hard you work, strive, or push? Maybe you have just reached the top. Maybe you are just beginning your journey and have yet to experience the feelings of never being satisfied. No matter what stage you are at, it’s not too late to aim at the right target. In Don’t Miss Your Life, Aaron will guide you to your true purpose in life and help you reassess your vision of success. You will discover the real reason you are on this earth and the overwhelming fullness you can feel when your target aligns with Jesus’ target for your life. You will enjoy this book and find the target that God put you on earth to hit. Trust me. You won’t be disappointed.

Christopher Hodgson, president, Driftwood Restaurants and Catering

At some point, we all figure out that success doesn’t satisfy our deepest desires. Discovering your purpose and living this out will bring you true fulfillment. Read this book and find out how to live your best life.

Christian Taylor, professional athlete; two-time Olympic Gold Medalist

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Don’t Miss Your Life: The Secret to Significance

Copyright © 2022 Aaron Tredway

978-1-4245-6422-4 (softcover)

978-1-4245-6423-1 (ebook)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Typesetting by Garborg Design Works | garborgdesign.com

Cover by Ashley Owen

Interior graphics by Chris Brice

Printed in China 22 23 24 25 26 5 4 3 2 1

For my friend Bob, who taught many to live a significant life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

–Jesus (John 10:10 NIV)

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE: The Sin of Success: An Autobiography

PART ONE: The Problem

Chapter 1: Success: The Most Coveted Disappointment of All

Chapter 2: The American Dream

Chapter 3: The Sisyphean Effect

PART TWO: The Solution

Chapter 4: A New Perspective

Chapter 5: A New Purpose

Chapter 6: A New Pursuit

INTERMISSION: The Why Is Your Way

PART THREE: Three Practical Ways to Pursue Significance

Chapter 7: Become Rich toward God

Chapter 8: Become Rich in Community

Chapter 9: Give Your Life Away

EPILOGUE: On Purpose

About the Author

Endnotes

Prologue

The Sin of Success: An Autobiography

I never want to be a pastor, missionary, or speak in public. Those are my conditions. That was my first prayer. On the floor. In my dorm room as a college freshman.

Have you ever tried to make a deal with God?

How’d that work out for you?

It wasn’t my best idea. Three years later someone called me. It wasn’t God. It might as well have been.

“Hello, is this Aaron?”

“Yes,” I say.

“Is this Aaron Tredway, the professional soccer player?”

“Yes,” I say…with pride.

It had always been my dream.

When I was five years old, my dad came home from work one day; he said we were going to play a new game. He never played himself. I don’t think he ever saw it played until that day in the park.

Remember orange slices and lukewarm Capri Sun? Anyone? Maybe you also grew up in the ’80s?

That day in the park I clearly saw my purpose. I jumped out of my dad’s 1979 Datsun Bluebird, and I stood at the edge of the field. Fluorescent yellow socks pulled up to mid-thigh. White plastic pleather cleats. I was 44.5 pounds soaking wet. I’m certain the other kids were intimidated.

They were all running. They were all screaming. They were all chasing a ball but mostly just kicking each other. In that moment, I look up at my dad and his fantastic mustache. “I’m going to be a professional soccer player!” I say. I’m told that wasn’t my dad’s plan; he loved baseball. Maybe I should have played baseball. Maybe then God wouldn’t have had Mike call me that day.

“Aaron, this is Mike,” the voice says.

“Mike, great to hear from you,” I say. “Do I know you?”

“Ummm. Well. Not really. But you should come to Africa to serve God with us.”

Hmmm…

Let’s think.

I never want to be a pastor, missionary, or speak in public…

I didn’t think long.

“Mike, I’ll pass,” I say.

Three weeks later, I was in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Maybe you’ve had an experience like that—defining?

Life-altering? A total reframing of why you exist? Maybe it was an event for you. Maybe it was a specific moment in time. Maybe you picked up this book because you need a moment like that. I know I needed this moment.

From the day I stood on that soccer field when I was five years old, I had one goal for my life—to become a professional soccer player; but honestly, I didn’t know what that meant when I was young. There was no professional soccer league in the United States. I had never watched soccer on TV, and I had never been to a game that I wasn’t playing in myself. So, my vision wasn’t robust…but it was specific.

I wanted to be famous.

I wanted to make lots of money.

I wanted to drive a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. It had to be a black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with a robotic artificially intelligent electronic computer module—I watched too much Knight Rider as a kid—thanks, Hasselhoff!

Here’s the point: success was my goal.

Jesus once asked an interesting question: “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”1

Have you ever thought about that?

Have you ever gotten something you really wanted? Do you remember how long you were satisfied until you wanted something else?

Soccer was like that for me.

I spent my life chasing, and working, and grinding, and hoping one day I would “make it.” I actually slept with a soccer ball under my pillow most nights. I guess that explains my alignment issues. But I had a goal. And it wasn’t just a goal—it was my target—the aim of my life.

That’s why I set parameters with God. That night when I prayed for the very first time, I told God my conditions. “I’m willing to commit, to sacrifice, to follow Jesus” as long as “I never have to be a pastor, missionary, or speak in public.”

I’ve noticed that God doesn’t always honor back-alley deals, but he always has a plan. That’s how I got to Africa. That’s how I ended up on a dirt field with Mike, who pursued me until I agreed to go. I’ll never forget the day.

The night before, we had played in a huge stadium in front of thousands of people, but now we were in the absolute middle-of-nowhere Africa—think mud huts, grass skirts, and kids with no clothes covered in dirt.

Carlos, my friend who played for the LA Galaxy, leans over to me as we’re sitting there on the bus in the heat. “Why are we here?” he says. I had no idea.

There was no one in sight—no houses or huts or anything around. But there was a field full of rocks and glass. One end of the field appeared to be higher than the other. Significantly higher.

“Should we get off the bus?” Carlos says.

Neither of us moved.

I’ve noticed it’s hard to move when you don’t know your purpose. It’s even more difficult when your purpose leads you somewhere you didn’t intend to go. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever found yourself in a place or a circumstance you didn’t anticipate? Maybe it’s your current job. Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s this book.

That’s how I felt as our coach walked off the team bus that day. “Watch this!” he says.

But nothing happened.

Same field. Same heat. Same desolate surroundings. But then everything changed. Kids started rushing the field. They were swinging in on vines. They were coming out of bushes. They were riding in on elephants—at least that’s how I remember it—the moment our coach put a ball on the ground.

Did I mention the clicking?

Yeah, that’s how they speak in Harare.

It’s like, “Click, clock, clock, click…click, click.” I think it means, “I really like your hair.” It’s TBD. But I have determined it’s extremely difficult to communicate when clicking is your only option. That’s why this moment was so profound.

I stood on the side of the field watching all the kids running and screaming and kicking each other, just like I did when I was five years old. Our players were running and screaming and kicking them too. We weren’t clicking. They weren’t speaking English. We were communicating, though, through soccer.

Why am I here? What’s my purpose? Why did I come to Africa? That’s what I’m thinking as I’m standing there in the dirt watching the kids play. That’s when our coach calls everyone together.

“Let’s share Jesus!” Coach says.

Share? What? How? I’m totally confused. I knew we were in Africa to serve God, but what about the clicking? What about the cultural barriers? What about everything that separates us?

Maybe I should think more like a twelve-year-old sometimes. That’s who shared Jesus that day—the coach’s son.

It wasn’t deep.

It wasn’t complex.

It didn’t have three points.

But Jesus was proclaimed. Hundreds of kids responded. The village chief was there. He committed his life to Christ. A church was planted in the middle-of-nowhere Zimbabwe. Twenty years later, that church still exists. And I was there.

Standing on the side of the field. In the dirt. I watched it happen. God used my passion for his purpose, and it totally reframed my perspective of success.

I always thought success was significant. That’s the message we get from culture, at least. If you have the right degree, get the right job, hold the right position, make the right amount of money—you’re good. If you gain fame, popularity, power, prestige—you’re good. So… are you good? Is that how you feel? Satisfied? Fulfilled? Overflowing with life?

It’s not how I felt for many years.

Maybe I was just too busy? Yes. That’s it. I’m too busy! Schedule a vacation. A vacation will fix everything—marriage issues, anxiety, chronic stress, insomnia, diet, exercise, relationship with the kids—it’s nothing five days and five nights on a beach won’t fix.

Maybe I should take up yoga. Maybe I should rehearse daily self-affirmations. Maybe I should just drink more. Or…

Maybe the problem isn’t the activity; it’s the objective. Maybe I don’t need to change what I’m doing; maybe I need to change why I do it.

That’s what makes archery so intriguing to me. Remember archery circa high school gym class, and multiple teenagers who are legitimately given weapons they’re ill-equipped to use? Yeah, it’s an actual sport. It’s characterized by a target—a series of concentric circles that represent a point value that increases as you move toward the center; it’s called “the bull’s-eye.” That’s the point. It’s the goal. The objective of archery is to hit the bull’s-eye.

I actually did that once—hit the bull’s-eye. But my high school gym teacher, Mr. Stricker, said it didn’t count. “What? It must count for something,” I argued. “I hit the very center of the target!” Unfortunately, it wasn’t my target. Maybe that’s the problem in life.

Standing on the side of the field in Zimbabwe, I remembered a story I heard as a kid. I think God helped me remember. The story involves a girl named Esther and her cousin Mordecai.

Esther was a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin. When she was a teenager, she was “taken” and entered into a beauty pageant. I guess I always assumed Esther wanted to become queen of Persia, but as it turns out, she was actually forced into the position. The story has it all: beautiful girl, tyrant king, evil villain who wants to irradicate all the people. The watershed moment comes when Mordecai writes Esther a letter.

“Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”2

That’s Mordecai’s question to Esther. Do you think it’s possible? Do you think there’s a reason? Could it be that, maybe, possibly, perhaps there’s a purpose for your life that’s bigger than you can see?

Standing on the side of the field in Zimbabwe, I believed God was asking me the same question: What’s the point of all your striving? What’s the goal of all your grinding? What’s the target? What metric guides your life?

I started to think about all the time I spent in the gym, on the field, late nights, early mornings, sacrifice, blood, sweat, pain…What’s the point? Money? Fame? Acceptance? Approval? I love to play soccer, but is there something more?

Maybe success isn’t as significant as I think? Maybe success isn’t the right goal? Time stood still as I wrestled with all these questions in my mind.

I wonder if you’ve ever paused long enough to consider something more than success as the target of your life. Have you ever really considered if success can satisfy you? Can success fulfill you? Is success worth the price of admission? I’m not saying it’s not. I just wonder if there’s something more…significant.

It’s 4:27 a.m. Right now. As I type these words. I woke up at 3:45 a.m. because I have a goal: finish the chapter. That’s what I wrote on my “to-do” list for today. I guess I’m type A? I don’t like stereotypes. But I like setting goals. I like accomplishing goals even more.

Maybe you’re like me. Just a little? Don’t be ashamed. People use words like determined and dedicated and passionate to describe you. You take pride in doing whatever you do to the best of your ability. You work…a lot. Maybe it’s schoolwork. Maybe it’s your job. Maybe it’s a passion you hope becomes a profession.

I used to think I needed to change who I am to live for God; now I know God made me like I am, so I just need the right target for my life.

It’s like archery. The objective is to hit the bull’s-eye; it’s the point of the game. But I’ve always found it interesting that there’s a term used in archery whenever you miss the mark of perfection. Any guesses? What could they possibly call it if you aim at the target but miss the point? It’s called… sin. Look it up.

Standing there, on the side of the field, I had this thought: I’ve sinned—I totally missed the point of life.

I thought life was all about me—my wants, my needs, my desires, my pursuits. I thought life was all about success. That was my metric. Success was my goal. Success was the measuring stick of my life. It’s how I charted my progress. It’s how I determined my emotions. Success was my greatest pursuit. But what if success is the wrong target? What if I aim at success and I’m successful but I miss my life?

I wonder if you’ve ever asked a similar question. Have you ever thought you might get everything you want but fulfillment? But joy? But satisfaction? What value do you place on actually enjoying the journey of life?

D. L. Moody once said: “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”3 Are there any things like that in your life? Are there any things you’re pursuing, doing, spending lots of time thinking about, that don’t really matter?

See, maybe success is significant. And maybe success is worth pursuing, but standing there in the dirt, I start to believe…

Significance is success.

I’m convinced this is the secret to life.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to just get by. I don’t want to just make it through, keep my fingers crossed, grit my teeth, work super hard to hopefully someday, somehow, with some luck limp across the finish line of life. That’s not actually life. At least, not the life Jesus describes. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”4

I’ve decided, that’s my goal—life to the full—it’s the Jesus life. It’s called “abundant.”5 It’s called “rich and satisfying.”6 The Jesus life is called “real and eternal” life.7 The problem is, so many of us miss the mark. Because we aim at the wrong target. Because we spend the bulk of our time, talents, and treasure pursuing the wrong objective.

I call it the sin of success.

It’s not that success is bad. Success isn’t wrong. But when success becomes our focus, we always miss the target.

So, what’s the aim of your life? What’s your target?

Maybe that’s why you picked up this book. Maybe you’re looking for a new metric to guide your life. Maybe you feel just a little like me. For so many years, in the back of my mind, I would think, What’s the point?

“I never want to be a pastor, missionary, or speak in public.” Those were my conditions. That was my first prayer. On the floor in my dorm room as a college freshman. Now I tell people, “Never make deals with God. He does whatever he wants.”

I’m a pastor.

I was a missionary for twenty years.

I speak in public most days of the week.

But let me repeat the secret the world never told me: significance is success.

I’ve been practicing the secret to significance for over twenty-five years now. It doesn’t mean I’ve cornered the market on life. I’ve got so much to learn. I make so many mistakes. I’m constantly aiming and re-aiming my trajectory. But life is different now.

I still have big dreams. I still set seemingly impossible goals. I literally want to climb mountains (I’m doing Everest next year), discover new places, and do things other people don’t do.

I played professional soccer for thirteen years. I coached professional soccer teams on four continents. I even owned a professional soccer team…sort of. The point isn’t really about what I’ve done or accomplished. The point is that you don’t have to change your profession to fulfill your purpose. You just need to change your perspective and maybe your pursuit.

So, if success is your only concern, maybe skim the first chapter of this book and get back to it. But if live to the full sounds good to you, if you’re tired of the chase, the grind, the endless pursuit of things that don’t really matter or fulfill, if you’ve got a sneaking suspicion that maybe, possibly, perhaps there’s a purpose for your life that’s bigger than you can see, then keep reading.

This book isn’t complex, and it’s not hard to understand, but I’m guessing that, just like me, you don’t want to miss your life. That’s why we need to understand the secret to significance.

PART ONE:

The Problem

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.

–Jim Carrey

Chapter 1

SUCCESS: The Most Coveted Disappointment of All

A few years ago, I had coffee and crumpets with my friend Tim in the English countryside—it was a scene straight out of The Crown (season 1, of course; every other season is just average). Like every driven, overachieving, highly motivated person, Tim is busy. He’s also fairly popular.

When we first met, Tim worked in a town called Manchester, and his work took him all over England, but Manchester was home. It’s an interesting city, Manchester. For example—how do I say this—it’s named after female anatomy. They say it has something to do with the Romans and a fort they built between two hills in AD 79.8

“Game day,” Tim says, as I’m stuffing the last crumpet in my mouth.

“Game day?” I say.

“Yes, definitely game day,” Tim says.