How many of you reading this would like for your life to be more fulfilling? How many of you have tried time and again to make your life more fulfilling, only to end up more frustrated than ever?
If you are like most people then one of those two options fits you. I’ve spoken to people whose lives were so frustrating that they didn’t want to wake up and face another day. If that were where things ended it would be pretty frustrating, but things don’t have to end there. There is hope! There is hope for you! You can have a fulfilling life!
Is there a catch? There’s not a catch, but there is a choice. If you keep on doing what you have always done you will keep receiving what you’ve always received. It’s like any other process. If you don’t like the way your cookies turn our then you must change the recipe, the oven temperature, the time you leave them in the oven, or something. Leaving everything the same will simply give you the same results. The same is true for our lives. You must choose to make a change.
Are you willing to change? If not then you might as well stop reading right here. Save your time and go watch your favorite TV program, eat a cookie, drink a coke, or do something else. But if you want to have a life that will give you a greater thrill than you have ever imagined then read on.
First Point: The whole basis for a fulfilling life is discovering your purpose. Look, everyone knows that every person has unique fingerprints, heartbeat, brainwaves, DNA, etc. Why are we all different? We are all different because we are each designed for a different role in life. Like a huge jigsaw puzzle, each of us have a unique function. But most of us look at someone else’s life and think we want to be like them, and then we get frustrated to death trying to be something we were never designed to be. Trying to become like someone else will never fulfill us because we miss out on being us, who we were designed to be and what we were designed for. Give it up! Forget trying to be like someone else. Let go of that frustration.
Second Point: Nobody can tell you what you need to be or do. Hundreds of people want to tell you what you need to do and what you need to be. Forget it. They don’t know what you were designed to be or designed to do. That’s for you to figure out. That’s your adventure. That’s your life. Nobody is exactly like you and nobody can tell you what you were designed to do.
Third Point: To find your life purpose you must get right with your Creator so that He can guide you. Now don’t go thinking I’m getting all religious on you because I’m not. Let me define a religion for us: all religions try to help man find a way to earn or deserve the favor of their God. I’m not talking about you having to earn, pay for, buy, or do anything else to gain favor with God. You can’t do anything to gain God’s favor. What I am talking about is accepting God’s gift so that what is separating you and Him can be taken away and you can have the relationship with Him that He created you to have. You can’t do it, but you can let Him do it. You have a choice to make because it’s what you have done wrong that has separated you from Him. So since you are the one who did the wrong you have to be the one to give Him permission to remove that wrong and get it out of the way. God is a gentleman and He will never violate your will. How do you start a relationship with God? Easy. Check out www.NeedHim.org and follow the links, or call them. Post a reply and I’ll get in touch with you just as quickly as I can. Please keep in mind that sometime I’m traveling outside the U.S. and may not get to read my e-mails for a week or two.
Forth Point: Once you have a relationship with your Creator you can get direction from Him. In fact, he wants to give you direction. In Psalm 23:8 God says “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Count on it. God will guide you and direct you. Another verse to keep in mind is James 1:5 where God says “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Fifth Point: You can’t do it on your own. You need to find a mentor who will help you grow and reach your maximum potential. Find a person of the same gender who has walked with God longer and has gone down the road of life further then you have and ask them to take time to meet with you weekly to share their greatest lessons with you.
Sixth Point: By design, God’s plan for your life is too big for you to accomplish it without Him. We like to play it safe and only take on projects we can accomplish on our own, with resources we can pull together, with funds we can raise, and with volunteers we can recruit. God wants us to take on projects so big that they will never succeed without Him. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that we cannot please God unless we have faith in Him, and I believe the reason is that if we never learn to trust Him we will never take on the projects God designed for us. We must learn to step out of our comfort zone and take on those projects that our heart craves yet also scare us half to death. Most people live their lives never taking on anything they can’t do on their own. That’s called playing it safe, and those people never need to see God show up. As a result they never experience the thrill of seeing God show up and being a part of something God is doing.
Seventh Point: Step out of your comfort zone and trust God. Begin with those small things of being faithful and little by little God will give you larger and large projects until you are doing what thrills your heart and soul. You can’t keep playing it safe and avoiding risk if you expect God to show up. God only shows up when we trust Him enough to step out and attempt the impossible. Get good godly counsel and move forward trusting God to show up.
Well, by now you’ve got some ideas. Share them with me and let me know what you’re thinking. I’d love to hear from you.
Your friend,
Pastor Jim
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