Thoughts & Ideas

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn! Here is a quick thought for you; "Every day is a new beginning; treat it that way." - Lolly Daskal

This morning I want to share a few thoughts/ideas with you and then wrap up with a few excerpts.

1. Please strive every day to be the best version of you. You were created to be you, with wonderful talents, gifts & abilities. Your life has incredible value, meaning & purpose. You are perfectly equipped to fulfill your purpose if only you will strive to be all you were created to be, to close the gap between your potential and your reality. Sadly, many of us spend more of our time trying to be what other people want us to be, what society says we should be instead of striving relentlessly, valiantly to become all that God created us to be. It's really no wonder that with this so many folks walk around frustrated, discouraged, feeling as if they are failing in life. The reality is just as a lion would make a very poor elephant, you & I will make a very poor anyone else other than what we were created to be. My hope & prayer for each of us this morning is that we will recognize our God-given talents, gifts & abilities and that we will intentionally choose today - and every day that follows - to strive to reach our potential in each of those areas. You were uniquely created to be you. Be that...YOU!

2. It is really easy to find faults in others, and in ourselves for that matter. Today I want to encourage us to find the good in others, to catch them doing the right things, to expect them to do the right things. It really is true that we find/see what we are looking for. We can certainly choose to find the faults, the errors, the negativity in everyone we encounter today and what we will have is a fault filled, negative day. Look Friends, nobody is perfect...not even you or me! :) So let's just go ahead and get over that right now. Instead of searching for the negative, choosing to be offended, being certain that everyone is out to get us/ruin our day, lets look hard for the positive. Let's choose to extend mercy & grace. Let's realize that perhaps someone is having a bad day/moment and what they really need is for us to support & encourage them. Their bad day probably has nothing at all to do with you or I...we aren't that important! :) Let's choose - notice how many times the word "choose" has been used here?!?! - to be positive, to be encouraging and to find the good in ourselves and others!

3. Every day we make hundreds, perhaps thousands, of decisions. You decided what time you would get up this morning, what you would do first, if you would read this blog, etc. The decisions, many made somewhat thoughtlessly, are countless. Once you have made one, especially the big ones, don't look back, don't look from side to side...just walk it out and go for it. We get ourselves in trouble when we don't really commit to the decision, when we leave ourselves an escape route. Nobody, no situation is ever going to be perfect all the time. This does not mean the decision was bad, that you are wrong or that you should quit. It simply means that you are living life...and this can sometimes be difficult. I want to again remind us that it is working through the difficulties that things become truly meaningful. Difficulties, challenges & struggles are not necessarily a sign that you have made the wrong decision or that you are doing the wrong thing...sometimes they are simply an indicator that things are just getting ready to get good, that the relationships are just getting ready to become meaningful, that you are about to accomplish that goal/dream! Again, we will see what we look for, so let's look for the good and let's commit - I mean really commit - to walking our decision(s) out and making the very best of whatever that decision is/was.

I am absolutely loving Chase The Lion: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small by Mark Batterson. I want to strongly encourage you to read this book. This morning I want to share a few excerpts that spoke to my heart this week.

"If you judge a person by his or her actions, you're judging a book by it's cover. Reactions are far more revealing than actions. How you react in difficult circumstances is the litmus test of character. And you never really know how you'll react until you're the one who crosses paths with a lion.
Valor is running toward trouble when everyone else is running away.
Valor is going above and beyond the call of duty.
Valor is putting yourself in the line of fire for someone else."

"'The Christian is called upon not to be like a thermometer conforming to the temperature of his society,' said King, 'but he must be like a thermostat serving to transform the temperature of his society.'
King recognized that being different for difference's sake isn't the goal. The goal is to make a difference. And that takes the courage not just to stand but to stand alone."
Mark is referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's November 1954 sermon titled "Transformed Nonconformist."

"It's okay to talk to God about your problems, but at some point you need to talk to your problems about God."

"Fighters don't walk away when the going gets tough; they fight to the finish for their convictions. Fighters don't give up when everyone is against them; they fight against the status quo. And fighters don't shrink back when the odds are against them; they fight back for what they believe in.
There is a moment in every dream journey when you have to fight for what you believe in. It might be a marriage that is on the ropes, a child who is in rebellion, or a dream that is on life support.
Are you willing to fight for it?"

"We live in a culture that idolizes success and demonizes failure. But in God's kingdom the outcome isn't the issue. Success isn't winning or losing; it's obeying. It's honoring God whether you're in the red or the black. It's praising God whether you win the election or lose it. It's giving God the glory whether you're in the win column or the loss column."

"In God's book success is spelled stewardship. It's making the most of the time, talent and treasure God has given you. Its doing the best you can with what you have where you are."

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!

Kev