I've developed a new habit over the past few Saturdays that I hope will continue for a very long time. There is a beautiful park just outside of Sarasota that I like going to and walking the 2.75 mile trail. It's a flat trail since it is Florida and a very leisurely pace brings me great joy. To start the walk, I always call my grandma on my mom's side. She always says I bring a bright ray of sunshine to her day and she does the same for me. Grandma has such a rich well of wisdom to draw from and I absolutely love talking to her and gaining from her insight. We'll talk about Grandpa sometimes and what a great man he was. We'll talk about my love life or the lack thereof and how 'someone special is waiting just around the corner for you, Justin.' We'll talk about the stresses of work and life in general, how she made it through trials and continues to do so, and what the secret is to her joy.
Several weeks ago, I had the joy of reconnecting to a dear friend from high school and her grandma, Wilma, who reminds me of my grandma. Both of them are as sweet as they come and full of life and wisdom. When I got to visit with Wilma, I asked her the same question, "What's the secret to your joy?" Both Wilma and my Grandma have virtually the same response; to be grateful no matter the circumstance. There is a lot of wisdom in this statement, especially since it comes straight from the Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, " Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Wilma said to be appreciative no matter what, my grandma says to always be thankful. You get the idea, right? There is no magic bullet for a joy-filled life. If you want to know what makes people joyful people to be around, ask them. If you want to know God's recipe for joyfulness, go to the Word. They will generally be the same answer.
Lately, I've been trying to take steps forward in a few different areas of my life. What happens so often is that I'll have a great idea, only to obsess over it for anywhere from a week to a month and then nothing ever happens because I can't gain any traction. So, as a result of that, I often become greatly discouraged. A few people have come alongside me though and encouraged me to take the next step. It's funny now that I think about it. Ryan, my dear friend and pastor, always says at church something along the lines of, "What's your next step?" I can even remember him handing out cards one Sunday with 3 steps to write down in some area or another. Why I remember that so clearly is because I couldn't come up with a single step in whatever area it was. I usually think ahead to 20 steps down the road and as a result become overwhelmed and paralyzed with what to do.
Now, I've decided to take on a new approach. Someday, I'd like to open an entrepreneurship school or something along those lines in Haiti. As I was thinking about this, I started to think, ok, what are my next steps? Well, my first step is to get some mentors in the field. Another friend of mine who is also named Ryan started an entrepreneurship school in Myanmar recently so I asked him if I could come over and do an apprenticeship/internship of sorts. He said that would be fine so I'm planning on going over there for a month this coming summer. With that one step though, comes a whole slew of questions and what if's. Is it possible to do this without living off of support? Am I going to leave my comfort and security with my job to take a huge risk that could ultimately fail miserably?
All I know how to do is to take the next step, and that's light years ahead of where I was before. I've decided that is going to be my new focus for every area of my life, asking myself the important question, "What's my next step?" That's all I'm called to consider and think about. I don't have to have the whole future planned out or anything, I just need to be faithful in taking the next step that God puts in my place.
Several weeks ago, I had the joy of reconnecting to a dear friend from high school and her grandma, Wilma, who reminds me of my grandma. Both of them are as sweet as they come and full of life and wisdom. When I got to visit with Wilma, I asked her the same question, "What's the secret to your joy?" Both Wilma and my Grandma have virtually the same response; to be grateful no matter the circumstance. There is a lot of wisdom in this statement, especially since it comes straight from the Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, " Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Wilma said to be appreciative no matter what, my grandma says to always be thankful. You get the idea, right? There is no magic bullet for a joy-filled life. If you want to know what makes people joyful people to be around, ask them. If you want to know God's recipe for joyfulness, go to the Word. They will generally be the same answer.
Lately, I've been trying to take steps forward in a few different areas of my life. What happens so often is that I'll have a great idea, only to obsess over it for anywhere from a week to a month and then nothing ever happens because I can't gain any traction. So, as a result of that, I often become greatly discouraged. A few people have come alongside me though and encouraged me to take the next step. It's funny now that I think about it. Ryan, my dear friend and pastor, always says at church something along the lines of, "What's your next step?" I can even remember him handing out cards one Sunday with 3 steps to write down in some area or another. Why I remember that so clearly is because I couldn't come up with a single step in whatever area it was. I usually think ahead to 20 steps down the road and as a result become overwhelmed and paralyzed with what to do.
Now, I've decided to take on a new approach. Someday, I'd like to open an entrepreneurship school or something along those lines in Haiti. As I was thinking about this, I started to think, ok, what are my next steps? Well, my first step is to get some mentors in the field. Another friend of mine who is also named Ryan started an entrepreneurship school in Myanmar recently so I asked him if I could come over and do an apprenticeship/internship of sorts. He said that would be fine so I'm planning on going over there for a month this coming summer. With that one step though, comes a whole slew of questions and what if's. Is it possible to do this without living off of support? Am I going to leave my comfort and security with my job to take a huge risk that could ultimately fail miserably?
All I know how to do is to take the next step, and that's light years ahead of where I was before. I've decided that is going to be my new focus for every area of my life, asking myself the important question, "What's my next step?" That's all I'm called to consider and think about. I don't have to have the whole future planned out or anything, I just need to be faithful in taking the next step that God puts in my place.
1 comment:
Great insight! As you take your "first" next step, God will make it clearer for you. Now I understand why you are traveling to your next destination. God bless you.
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