There was a time earlier in my life when I would have said that, “Our objective is to help people get what they “want.” I learned through the years that what people want is often not what they really need. It is a tough role to play as a leader to help people identify what they need instead of what they want, but it IS a very critical part of being willing to lead and serve. One example I have frequently seen is people may want an immediate raise in pay even when the value they are providing is not in line with the compensation they seek. When someone is overpaid, that person is ultimately at risk because the relationship will not be profitable for very long. We do need to work together to help the person increase results and ultimately earn more, but just giving someone a raise that they want may not be the best answer. This is just one example, but there are many situations where we need to help each other identify how to focus on needs as opposed to wants. When our needs and wants are in alignment, we usually achieve more and enjoy ourselves so much more.
Today, my focus has become even more important to me than financial goals. There was a time in my life when my financial goals ruled me. While I am still highly motivated by financial objectives, I am thankful that I have found more balance in my focus. It is ironic that in some ways you could argue that I “need” money even more now than I once did, but I have come to see the truth that I cannot let money rule my life. I have found that a more important focus is our spiritual needs. The question I hope to share some insight is, “How do we line ourselves up with the plan God has for each of us in our spiritual journey?” How do we align our lives with the plan the Lord has for us?
For some people, we first need to believe that God has a plan for us. I believe He does. There are so many examples in the Bible of how God used what some people might consider insignificant people to show us His work. He used blind men, tax collectors, lepers and prostitutes to mention a few. I believe if you choose to read the Bible, you will come to your own conclusion that God saw all people as significant. You are significant to God! And, other than Jesus, all of the people in the Bible had flaws just as we do. An interesting observation is that everyone suffered at some point in the Bible, but you could say that Jesus may have suffered the most during His crucifixion. So, God allowed everyone to experience difficulty in life, even His own Son. One of the hardest realities for me to process is that Jesus chose to suffer to Honor God and to save you and me….from ourselves.
I wish I had a formula to share with you today about finding God’s vision for you, but I have not found an answer to walking in faith on your spiritual journey that is a formula. To me, the good news is that if we seek God, we will find the right answers for ourselves. Perhaps the greatest challenge is that looking for answers by choosing to walk with the Lord is not a “fast food” solution. The journey takes time and it happens in God’s time, not ours. I know that to be an undeniable truth because the Lord promises us if we seek Him, He will answer us. I have seen a God that always keeps His promises. We often lack the patience to stay the course with Him. I know it is a struggle for me. I want answers and of course, I want them now!
So many of our struggles with Him seem to be that we ask Him for what we WANT and he gives us what we NEED. I find that often what I get does not seem to me like what I NEED!
It is even more difficult to accept pain and suffering in our lives when our prayers so many times don’t bring the healing we seek. Why is it that some peoples’ lives seem to go just as they hope for and others have so many hardships? Those are some tough questions to answer. I know one thing I have found about my own personal hardships. I often find that after I have endured a very difficult situation, I am in a much better place looking back. The really tough situations in life are those where we struggle to find a comforting answer. Why did the young man or boy die so young? Why did she get in so much trouble? Why is that person suffering so much that we would give anything to help her heal? There are many questions where the answers are slow in coming or even seem to never come.
I have come to believe that there will always be questions that we can’t find comforting answers. I have seen my Mother suffer a great deal for the past year. I can’t understand it. I am not sure I will ever understand it. I believe her comfort will ultimately come when she passes into the next life. In spite of my lack of understanding, I do find comfort knowing that God created her and loves her even more than I do as her son. At times, I even feel responsibility for her suffering because I know I could have been more attentive. My guilt is not coming from God, but from the other side and I need to fight it. Knowing that we have an all knowing, all loving, all powerful God, it is often tough to understand why He doesn’t give her and me comfort, but my faith in Him has not weakened. I refuse to allow setbacks keep me from God and walking with Him in my life. I would do almost anything to be with my own Father again so how can I give any less to be with my Heavenly Father? God made us to be with Him. One challenge is He gave us choices and it can be hard for us to choose Him. Some of us are afraid to even pursue Him. That fear does not come from God either. He is a loving Father who goes to great lengths to be with us.
I have a vision for myself and my life. It is the result of all of my years of experience as a child, as a son, as a brother, as a student, as a businessperson, as a father, as a husband, as a friend, as a competitor, an athlete, an employee, a leader, a provider or as our youngest daughter, Mary Sims taught me to say, as a person. Sims proclaimed at a very young age, “I am a person.” I am a person too. My vision includes my desire to be successful in at least every one of those roles that I listed. There is another role I have in life that intertwines with all of those roles and may ultimately be THE ROLE for my life.
I have a role that says, I am to love God with all of my heart, all of my mind and all of my soul. Wow! That is an intimidating role at times. Actually, it is more than a role. It is the essence of who we are. What does love really mean? And, what does it mean to love with all of my heart, all of my mind, and all of my soul? Am I even capable of doing that? I feel grossly incapable of that. But let me share something I also know to be undeniably true. The Lord would not ask me to do something that I am incapable of doing. And, He gave me (and you) an incredible example of what that love looks like through His son, Jesus Christ. This amazing son lived His WHOLE life honoring His Father in everything that He did. I struggle to live even one day that way.
I even struggle to do it for my closest friend and beloved wife, Elizabeth. She has given me a family that means so much to me. She has believed in me in spite of my shortcomings. She has taught me a lot about love. When I met her she was paying for someone else’s mistakes simply because she was committed to doing the right thing no matter how hard it might be. I love and admire her. I need to love her even more. She needs to feel unconditionally loved by me. We all need that love in our lives. God has given us that love. When we fully receive His love, we can fully give His love. People will see God living in us through His son Jesus when we love fully and unselfishly. I admit I want to live fully and love fully. I want to be loved fully. We need that love – the love of God.
God asked His only son, Jesus to take our places on the cross and He willingly did. He loved His Father so much that He honored Him even if it meant the most terrible, painful, humiliating experience imaginable. He loved God and us so much that He made the choice to give His life. He took our places. I would take any one of our children’s places. I am called to do that for everyone. Jesus did. Each person you encounter each day is someone the Lord gave His life that he or she would be forgiven.
The Lord asks us to love one another as we love ourselves. We can do that too. But, we can’t do it alone. We need Him to live with us, to guide us and to become our vision in life. Do we want to seek the vision we have for ourselves? Or, do we seek the vision He has for us? We may want our own vision, but we need His vision. If you have not already done this, I suggest that you ask God to be part of your life. Ask Him to help you see the vision He has for you and guide you to have the courage to follow that vision. If we do that, He will answer us. We will know an unselfish love that means giving more and we will enjoy giving so much more. We can love God with all that we have and we can love one another so much more. It may not be easy, but it is good and right. The most meaningful things in life rarely are easy. But, I believe choosing His vision will give us all a life that means so much more. I want that life. More importantly, I need that life. I pray for that vision and life today for you and me. May the Lord give you His vision for you and may you follow Him. Amen
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