Conducting a Spiritual Audit
January 1, 1998
When I was teaching an adult Sunday school class, one member, the CEO of a major firm, asked me to lunch. He started the conversation by saying, "I have a CPA to keep me liquid, a lawyer to keep me legal, and a doctor to keep me healthy. But I have no one to help assess my spiritual condition. Can you give me a 'spiritual audit'?" I had never thought about such a thing. I thrashed around, trying to be helpful, but felt completely lost in doing what he wanted. This led me to think about a "spiritual audit," first for myself and then possibly for others. In the two or three years since, I have accumulated twelve questions I ask myself. I hope you will be encouraged to develop your own audit if you feel it helpful. 1. Am I content with who I am becoming?
Every day I get one day closer to who I will ultimately be. Am I satisfied with who this will be? Our son, Fred, Jr., helped me with this question. He asked me about the important people in my life and after hearing each story, unerringly asked, "Did he finish well?" Some did, some didn't, and a few were disasters. We must be sure our profession does not consume our person. It's important that we be more than we do or have. Too often I have seen executives leave their title and power and have nothing to fill the vacuum. They are shells, like the large beetles you find on pine trees in east Texas that look completely alive but have all their insides gone. They are as hollow as a drum. Also, as we grow older, we must move from power to wisdom. Those who try to hold power too long are resented. Even parents who try to hold power over their children lose the love of their children. However, when we are able to give up power at the right time and become a wisdom figure, then we ...
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