Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Enjoy YOUR Life...


Abraham Lincoln so aptly stated “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

The only life that you have is your own- the only way you are going to be happy is to live it on purpose and enjoy it daily. I have met so many people that will be happy when…..
1. They get a new job.
2. They get a boyfriend/girlfriend.
3. They get into college
4. They get married.
5. They have kids.
6. They lose weight.
7. They get involved in the ministry they have always dreamt of.
8. Their kids moved out of the house.
9. They get a new car.
10. They move into a bigger house.

And the list can go on and on and on. The first thing you have to do to enjoy your life is to accept the life that God has given you. As MKs he has allowed you to live in two countries. You are familiar with more than one culture. A lot of you can speak two languages. Has it always been fun? No! Has it always been easy? No! Has it always been exciting? No! But you can decide if you are going to use the life the Lord has given you as a stepping stone to your success or a crutch for your own failures.

I fear that we have turned into the society of “Not Enough” which is so aptly stated by this quote:

"We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; more medicine, but less wellness. We read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of a fancier house, but broken homes. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul."

(Anonymous, cited by David G. Myers, "Wanting More in an Age of Plenty," Christianity Today, April 24, 2000)

We must not allow jealousy or comparison to cause us to be absent from our own life the Lord has given us. King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:18, 19:

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him-for this is his {allotted} part. Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil- this is the gift of God {to him}.”

Take your “allotted part” of life and enjoy them- your family, your talents, your resources, your physical qualities, and your uniqueness- that God has given to you. God is asking you to be faithful in your life not in someone else’s.

Use what HE has given you to touch and influence others. There is only one you. He has you right where he wants you. He has given you the job, the friends, the neighbors, the co-workers you have to be a Godly Influencer in their lives. Each of us has our own destiny, our own path that we must follow hard after.

So today if you are caught up in the hamster wheel of life- comparing yourself to others- stop, get off and start walking to your destination. You are so beautiful the way you are. You have comparing yourself to someone that isn’t even called to do what you are to do. Your ministry, your talents, your abilities are God given for your calling.

As soon as you step into the real you- you will find the peace, the joy, the sweet embrace of the Lord, the wholeness that you have been trying to find by living others dreams. Today strip all of that off. Stand before him ready and available and I assure you- you will be in for the adventure of a lifetime.

1 comment:

Girly Muse said...

Great word for the day. Thanks, Cylinda. Needed to hear it!!!