Birthday: Five More Years Pursuing Purpose

Today is my birthday, and I am going to repost a story from five years ago (with updates, of course). I was born on June 17, Father’s Day. I am not going to talk about Fathers; I am going to talk about my journey and why I do what I do. To do this, I am using one of the songs from the Hamilton Musical, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.  The song starts like this: “Let me tell you what I wished I’d known when I was young and dreamed of glory. You have no control over who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

There is a lot of truth in this statement and a few lessons to be learned. Here’s what I have learned and why I passionately pursue purpose!

1. The sooner you come to terms with God’s plan for your life, the better. God has a plan for you; He will reveal it, you have to acknowledge it and follow it. Once you start following God’s plan, your whole life makes total sense. Every setback and every step up is in absolute clarity.
2. People are not the problem. They do what they do. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.”) When you realize your fight is not with people, you do things differently. You stop trying to control situations and start relying on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you.
3. War is inevitable, we simply must learn how to fight. You will never conquer what you are unwilling to confront.  Confrontation is not a bad thing. Once you confront, you can take comfort. It’s all out in the open, and you can see what your enemy tried to keep hidden. Your battles become easier to win.
4. Trust God’s Word. His Word is forever fixed in heaven. People are always asking me what I believe about certain things. My answer is always the same: I believe the Bible. God said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me. I have no moral dilemmas (Still true)!
5. Love people, no matter what. There are going to be people living their lives according to their own code. We cannot change them, only God can. We can love them just as God loved us. WOW.  I have a lot to say about this. Five years ago when I first wrote this post, it was the year before the Pandemic. I thought I knew people and their hearts. I discovered I was mistaken. We need to work on our LOVE walk.
6. Practice Forgiveness. Forgive quickly (Matthew 6:15– But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins)and ask often (1 John 1:9– If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness). I had to practice forgiveness, mercy, and grace so much more. I had to throw off offense and stand firm in my truth (God’s truth) that He knows more than I could possibly know about everything. I just had to trust Him.

My story is continually being told. I have 68 years of stories and will continue to write them according to God’s will. It’s true; I have no control over who lives, dies, or tells my story once I am gone. My intent is to leave a record of my life so others may learn and grow in the grace of God. I have written more books, earned a doctorate, started a Coaching business, and visited more places in the past five years than I ever imagined I would. I am looking forward to the next five years and the adventures to come. Selah!