Tag Archives: #purpose

#inspiration, #spirituality

Planting

In school we learned about the work that farmers do. They plant crops in one season and harvest them in another. If a farmer plants potatoes, he expects to harvest potatoes. You reap what you sow, right?

There’s a solid lesson here. The farmer expects to harvest what he planted. In our lives, we should begin with the end in mind; what we expect to happen. Planting good seeds produces good outcomes. And we are reminded in Proverbs 16:9 that, “We make our plans, but The Lord determines our steps.” In other words, God will guide us and remove obstacles. We just do the work!

And thank God for the farmers. They work very hard and take great risks so we can eat!

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Accepted

We hear the news pundits and politicians refer to “average Americans.” Personally, I don’t know anyone who thinks of themselves as merely average.

People spend an inordinate amount of time trying to fit in rather than standing out. Oh we have the wonks who are constantly promoting themselves and saying, “look at me.” Many of those people are simply trying to cover up insecurities. Being liked on social media doesn’t take away feelings of inadequacy.

The only one who accepts us all the time is God. He wants us to find our true purpose He imbued in us, and then accomplish that purpose. God wants us to be ourselves. We don’t need to alter ourselves to fit in with the world. We are performing for an audience of one and only one.

If you’re going to perform, make it count…

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#inspiration

Blogging

Blogging is fascinating to me. I suppose it intrigues me because I don’t understand how it works. One day I will have 600 views while the next day I have 12. Weird, huh?

The purpose of my blog is to, hopefully, make you think. The usual theme is inspirational because I know the world is hurting, and I’m just trying to help. It is heartbreaking to see people struggle.

The world is hard, sometimes cruel, and we need to be reminded to look for the light…

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#inspiration

Making Things Better

It’s election season, so we get to hear from our favorite candidates about how they will make our lives better. They want us to believe that when they wake up every morning, they will be thinking about us. I know a good handful of politicians, from judges to members of Congress. They are telling you what you want to hear, and that’s usually not the truth.

The only one who can make your life better is you! Each of us is empowered to live active, fulfilling lives. Want more money? Work smarter and harder than your colleagues and you get promoted. The only limitations we have in life are the ones we place on ourselves. No one else can stop you from accomplishing your goals unless you allow them to.

The people in Washington will continue doing what they do. Live your life the way you want to. Don’t attach your dreams to the politicians. Make your life better through your own actions…

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#inspiration

Inspiring Stories

Ever since I was a little boy I have loved inspiring stories. I’m not sure why. I suppose it’s in my DNA, and I’m glad it is.

The first story I read was the story of Harriet Tubman. She was not even 5 feet tall, a woman, yet she faced great danger and escaped from slavery. Even more remarkable, Harriet returned to her home 19 times and brought over 300 others to freedom. There was a bounty on her head in the amount of $40,000, equal to over $1.5 million today. It’s remarkable that no one who helped her on the “underground railroad” turned her in.

Find role models, people who inspire you. Tubman was my first, but there have been many others since then.

Get inspired and start making a difference in the lives of others…

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#inspiration

As Good As It Gets

There’s a saying that I absolutely cannot stand. When people make reference to “back in the day” I want to pull my hair out. It’s a subtle admission that their best days are behind them. They aren’t.

We have a lot of great memories, no doubt. But our best days are ahead of us. We aren’t done with living. We can make our lives whatever we want them to be.

It’s up to us to choose to live life fully. Or we can fade into the sunset. It’s up to each of us to decide…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Leave Me Alone

Teenagers usually like their parents to leave them alone. That is, until they get hungry, need money or want to be driven somewhere.

Adults like for God to leave them alone, too. That is, until they need his help to get them out of some mess they created. And when he comes through, we put him on the back burner where we think he belongs until we get into another mess. But is that really right?

God knows what is good for us. He wants to mold us into who he created us to be. Sometimes the molding and the work is painful. But God only wants what is best for us, and he never stops trying or gives up on us.

I’m grateful to be able to worship a God like this. Even when I feel like being left alone…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Prepared

Solid preparation gives you confidence. If you’re about to take a test and you have studied properly, the odds are you will do well. Just “winging it” isn’t the best strategy.

Every experience we have in life prepares us for something else. This applies to the bad experiences as well as the good. We rarely have the luxury to know what we are being prepared for. I trust that God knows how he will use the difficult times in my life. Some of my hardest times have been used to help others. When the purpose becomes clear it strengthens my resolve and my trust.

If you are in the middle of a rough patch, or even if you are going through hell, I encourage you to keep moving through it. Your pain has purpose, whether you see it now or not…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Fame

Andy Warhol is credited with saying, “in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” Whether Warhol was the first to say this is up for debate, but it appears everyone is seeking their 15 minutes. Fame is not always pretty.

Why do people seek fame? Perhaps they want the attention that comes with fame. My belief is that wanting to be famous exposes a deeper insecurity. Fame follows accomplishment. Think of the great achievements of Lincoln, Ford, King and Musk. Two of them lost their lives because of their convictions.

Do your work. If fame finds you, all the better. If not, just do your work anyway. The only one whose opinion matters is God. Work with His purpose in mind…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Check The Box

A lot of life feels like we are just checking the box. We get to work on time. Check the box. Pick up kids and get them to their after school events. Check another box. It’s like we have a daily to-do list and then we do the same list the next day. As I have said before, much of daily life is routine and boring. It’s that way for everyone, no matter what People Magazine wants us to believe.

Let’s take a moment to consider our goals, dreams and desires. Are we checking any boxes in this important part of our lives? If we are just going through the motions or giving it lip service, we are cheating others as well as ourselves. We are built for purpose, God’s purpose. Let’s live like it matters because it does. Ignoring our purpose will not make it go away.

I encourage you to do something, even if it’s just one thing, every day to get you where you want to be. Start today. In fact, start now…

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