For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans8:18)
Life is an amazing journey. It is filled with lots of stops, pauses, and oftentimes we are assailed with thoughts of quitting. I have been told that winners never quit, and quitters never win, so I have chosen to hang on regardless of what happens. What keeps the journey sweet regardless of the pain, tears, hurts long suffering and hard work, is having “the end” in mind. If what you are working on achieving in life does not motivate you to stay on-course, then you need to refocus, rethink or even find something else that will keep you going on in the journey of life. So the end product of what you desire or aspire for in life has to be the strength, reason and most of all the drive that pushes you out of bed and makes you face the day fearlessly. When you imagine of the end result of what you want, an obstacle is just a stop sign that makes you aware of the oncoming danger that can kill your intended achievement. In response, you stop and evaluate, eliminate, judge and then proceed with caution. On the other hand, a pause gives you a break to regain more energy such as when you are climbing a tall mountain like Mount Kilimanjaro. Pausing while working on your life’s achievement gives you a break to breathe deeper, stretch parts of your body that have been strained by the climb while releasing pressure from the very parts that you need for the rest of the climb. In the pause, you think clearly, you ask yourself questions like how am I doing, what have I done so far that needs to be done consistently so I can a accomplish what I am working on, or what should I do to make the journey not necessarily faster, smooth, or painless, but use every experience of the journey, both victories and setbacks, to grow and mature. This makes you ultimately able to establish and position yourself for what you are about to achieve. In life, it is not necessarily what we go through that is important, but the lessons we learn along the way.
You have to make friendship with achievement, the finished product of your life. You have to be committed and loyal to your intended end results. Choose to have no option other than to live to your commitment regardless of what monetary gain might be lost or gained from it. Commitment comes first, then the monetary gain. Like Bear Bryant, former Alabama football coach said, “My attitude has always been….”If it’s worth playing, it’s worth paying the price to win”. With the results always in your mind, remember that you cannot do it without the help of God. You have to put God first in all you do, as you work towards achieving great things or the great thing in life. In the Movie “Chariots of Fire”, an amazing story is told of a British runner “Eric Liddell ” in the 1924 Olympics held in Paris, who refused to run on Sunday out of his commitment to his Christian faith, and therefore missed the 100 meter finals, in which he was the favorite. Instead, he ended up winning a gold medal as a late entry in the 400 meters, an event he had not trained for. His integrity and commitment to God on the track took centre stage in the academy award winning film. It is said that Liddell used his talent in the field to glorify God. He devoted his time away from training to preaching and teaching the young men of Scotland.
As you work towards your intended life’s achievements, do this to bring glory to God.
I want to challenge you to start glorifying God in any position you are today. If you are employed, use that to glorify God; if you are jobless, use that too to glorify. Do this remembering that the race does not always go to the swift (Ecclesiastes 9:11), so all you have to do is keep on running; and remembering the Lord your God, for it is he who gives your ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Also, bear in mind that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything that there is” (Psalm 24:1). There is nothing wrong with possessing riches so long as the riches do not posses you. With perseverance, you can remain persistent and steady as you journey toward your achievements.
If you are in the Bay area, come visit us for our monthly prayer breakfast meeting this Saturday at 10:00am. For more information visit us at: http://www.vesselforhonor.org or call us at 1-408-833-6456.
