Do You Know?

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

This morning I want to share a couple of thought provoking questions from a sermon our Pastor, Steve Huskey, preached a couple of weeks ago. The sermon was titled, The Caves of Compromise.

Pastor Steve was talking about our imaginations and the impact they can have on our lives. You know, when we sit there and imagine if we had that job rather than this job, if I lived in that city rather than this city, if I was married to that person instead of this person...you get the point. When we start looking off in the distance instead of being fully present, and the very best we are capable of being, where we are. He noted that every direction has a destination...wherever we look will lead to somewhere, and then he threw out the first thought provoking question:

"Where are you heading in your heart?"

Ahh, the heart. The Bible teaches us to guard it for everything we do flows from it. We are told that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. The heart...it determines everything!

So, where are you and I heading in our hearts? Are we longingly looking at some other job, city, person, purpose, etc.? Or are we looking, fully present in this moment, at our purpose and the people right before us that God has placed in our lives? 

Thought provoking, isn't it? I simply want to invite you to join me in making this a daily question we ask ourselves - "Where am I heading in my heart?" Please remember, whatever direction we choose, it does have a destination and we will eventually arrive there.

And, I think I found the second question even more challenging, at least for me. Pastor Steve then asked:

"If you had everything you desired, what would it look like?"

Have you every thought about that? In our world today we are always striving for....something! We are taught from a very young age that we have to do more, have the latest greatest, etc. And so, we often live lives of constantly striving - longingly looking - beyond our current blessings and circumstances. Instead of walking in our purposes, being fully present, becoming the best we are capable of becoming where we are currently planted and loving, caring for and serving those we are blessed to have in our lives, we want something more, something different. But what is it and what does it look like if you got it? 

When he asked that question, I reflected on my life and, I have to tell you, I found myself a little embarrassed about seasons of my life. There were times - a lot of them - where my family was healthy and happy, I had a beautiful home and more blessings than I could ever need or deserve, I had a great job, great friends and yet I could still find something to complain about, something I was longing for, and yet, I couldn't define it. As I type these words I think I was simply choosing to be discontent when I had every reason in the world to simply be at peace, grateful for the the life God has given me to live.

I really want to encourage us to spend some time this weekend really thinking through that question - If I had everything I desired, what would it look like? Let's invite the Holy Spirit to challenge us, to give us wisdom and to, perhaps, change our perspective. If we are going to strive, let us be clear about what we are striving for - and nobody can tell you whether you are striving for the right things or not...each of us must decide that on our own for it is ordering the life we live - and then let's make sure are lives are ordered accordingly.

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 weekend, please cherish your precious families and please stay healthy and well.

Kev