Keep Showing Up

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This is sure to be a great day! :)

Before diving into this Happy Friday, I want to respectfully ask you to pray for those being impacted by Tropical Storm Barry. Thank you.

This morning I just want to visit with you for a few minutes. Please grab a cup of coffee or tea and lets visit for a few minutes. I want to encourage you with something that is on my heart.

We are all in different seasons life, we are at different points on our journeys. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8 (International Children's Bible) which says,
There is a right time for everything.
Everything on earth has its special season.
There is a time to be born and a time to die.
There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
There is a time to kill and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.
There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them.
There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it.
There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
There is a time to love and a time to hate.
There is a time for war and a time for peace.

The point is, there is a time for everything. And with everything there are these great feelings and emotions that go with them. Even just typing those words, I could feel the different emotions associated with the different seasons of life.

What I want to encourage you with this morning, Sweet Friends, is no matter the season of life, keep showing up! Keep living the best life you are capable of living for that day, depending on God's provisions for that day. No question, some days are going to be better than others...we all experience "good" and "bad" days and seasons. They are inevitable in this fallen, broken world. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, we do have choices. We can choose to show up every day and give our very best to that day...and I pray we will!

There are two areas of life that I would like to briefly focus on this morning when it comes to showing up.

1. Relationships. I truly believe that the key to, well everything, is relationships. From our relationship with the Lord to the countless people that come into our lives, it is the breadth and depth of our relationships that determine the quality of the lives we live. Please Sweet Friends, keep showing up!

Somewhere along the line we, sadly, determined that it is o.k. to just discard people, that it is o.k. to just give up. Instead of fighting for our relationships, we give up when it gets tough, when it starts to get a little messy. I don't believe that is what we are called to do. And please, let me be clear, I am not talking about staying in abusive relationships. If someone is hurting you physically, mentally or spiritually, please seek help from one of the many groups/organizations that will help you get to a safe, healthy, place.

What I am talking about is the husband showing up every day and loving his family as he has been called to do. What I am talking about is the Dad showing up every day and loving, guiding and providing for his children as he has been called to do. What I am talking about is the friend showing up every day and helping a friend in need. I am talking about showing up every day, loving people where they are and being a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. I fully understand that it is not easy but it is a choice and every choice has consequences. I pray you & I will show up every day in every relationship we have the privilege of having and we give the very best that we have that day to it. Not always pretty. Not always easy. Always worth it!

2. Your talents/gifts/abilities. Please remember, what you do vocationally does not define who you are. Ideally, your job will simply be an opportunity for you to use the talents, gifts & abilities you have been given to walk out your purpose in life. Who you are and what you were created to do is so much greater than your job title! 

Please, show up every day and invest your time & energy in the talents, gifts and abilities you have been given. You were created on purpose, for a great purpose, for which you are perfectly equipped, lacking nothing. Please don't let those talents, gifts and abilities lay dormant. Show up every day and work on them. They are gift to you from the Lord. It is now your responsibility to develop them to the best of your ability, with God's help, so they may be used to serve the world. This world needs what you have to offer but you gotta show up in order to deliver them.

Look Friends, I know this is not easy. Life is hard. We get tired. Sometimes we just want to curl up in a little ball and lay on the couch or in bed and let the day pass by. Sometimes we want to run from people instead of to them. I totally get it. Please remember, feelings aren't facts. What I just listed were a whole bunch of feelings. We feel tired. We feel overwhelmed. We feel afraid. We think if we avoid or run from things then maybe the feelings will go away. The thing is, running away from people or callings never solves the problem. It simply creates new problems, some with eternal consequences. I simply want to encourage you this morning to keep showing up and giving the very best you have to offer in each day.

Finally, I want to share a quote that I have shared before. It is such a profound quote to me that it really became my life mantra the first time I read it.

"Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is harder than living them day after day. What you decide today and commit to today, you must re-decide and recommit to tomorrow, and each day that stretches out before you." - Arthur Gordon

I pray that you & I will choose to show up every day, starting with this one!

Please don't hesitate to contact me 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 week and please cherish your precious families.

Kev