my personal core values

I've been sharing on this blog lots of my personal beliefs and today's post is no different. At a pastor's retreat I developed six core values. I want to share them with you all but first, let me tell you a story.
My best friend, Cory, is an incredible athlete--always has been and likely always will be. Physically he beats me at most everything. We go golfing and I have a good round, but he has a better one. We lift weights and I lift heavy weights, but he lifts heavier. If we went running together I could run for a couple miles but he could run a lot further a lot faster. But there's one thing I can do that he can't and I experienced it a couple years ago. I was at his house and Cory called out to me to help him. Wha...??? Cory needs my help?? I went into the kitchen and there he was, sheepishly looking at me, and he asked if I could reach a plate that was high up in the cupboard. See, Cory's only about 5'9" tall and I'm about 6'2" tall. He couldn't reach high enough. I tried not to be too smug but I failed miserably.
My core values are a lot like the plate in the cupboard--they're values that I have to reach for. If I listed the core values that I actually valued, my list would be something like:

• I value being selfish
• I value being afraid of what others think of me
• I value being lazy
• I value being neglectful

That's not really an impressive list, is it? My core values make me stretch and reach. So here they are:

I value enthusiasm--with empathy, I want to impact people in such a way as to motivate them to fulfill God's purposes.

I value intimacy--drawing ever closer to God, Esther and others in an atmosphere of love, grace and vulnerability.

I value leadership--discovering God's plan and, with perseverance, synergy and courage, press on to the future.

I value thriving--seeing God's good things happen regardless of where I am and what's happening around me.

I value transformation--continual learning and improvement, fearing neither risk nor failure, as I grow toward the imitation of Christ.

I value integrity--with my identity firmly rooted in Christ, living in obedience to biblical principles and working hard at moral excellence.

Do I completely embody these values? I hope that at least sometimes and in some ways I do. But even as I type these out I am challenged: have I been vulernable? Have I been courageous? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But that's okay. I'm still stretching!