Forests are beautiful, God given natural wonders. They represent life and offer adventure, mystery, peacefulness, and harmony to those who enter. Sometimes, however, as the perverbial saying goes, we cannot see the beauty of the forest because of our focus on and proximity to the trees. Consider this... what if the forest represents our complete life and total being and the trees represent the experiences, issues and cares of our life. It is sometimes difficult for us to appreciate the beauty of our lives and what we have to offer because we focus so much on the day-to-day concerns we all have. You've heard this before now I'm sure. I'm writing about this today because I had a unique paradigm shift this weekend about this saying and I'd like to share.This past weekend I gained an expanded perspective on death. My thinking was triggered by the many high profile deaths which have occurred recently -- MJ, Farrah Fawcett, Steve McNair, Ed McMahon. Something hit me this weekend and my perspective was expanded through a series of revelations. I won’t say changed or new, because I already knew this on some level, but it now has more meaning. My realization was this… our birth and our death is really not about you and me as individuals. It is completely for and/or about the people in our lives.
You see, the moment we are born (and probably even starts at conception), we exist to be a blessing to others. Before we are born we have no feelings or emotions nor any wants or desires and we consume nothing. As soon as we are gone/we die, we cease to exist as such. We no longer have feelings or emotions nor wants or desires and we consume nothing. Our memory exists - and there is value in the memory - but we don't exist as a living blessing to others. So what matters is the time between and what impact we have on others while we are living.
That realization is causing me to look at every single individual in my life for the intrinsic value and blessing they have been and are to me – each person has the potential to play a role helping to create my healthy and happy life. As such, I intend to be much more appreciative of the role each person plays. Likewise, the realization is causing me to be much more intentional and conscientious about being a blessing to those who God has placed in my life. After all, when it boils down to it, being a blessing is essentially why we are here. According to the bible, the greatest commandments are first that we love God with everything we have and are; and, second, that we love our neighbors as ourselves.
So what does this have to do with getting to my destiny? Alot! Stay with me, it'll all make sense by the end. (smile)
There are a bunch of things that I enjoy doing and care about. I care about and enjoy encouraging others to be their best. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy playing tennis. I enjoy singing. I enjoy dancing. I enjoy watching movies and experiencing the theater. I enjoy writing. I care about each person living out their God given potential. The list goes on and on. It is very easy for me to do the things I enjoy doing. And, for the most part, I do them well. My expanded perspective on death, however, has made me realize that life is very simple. Do the things you enjoy doing and that God has gifted you to do. And, do them in a way that blesses those that God places in your life. Simple, right? You don’t have to go looking for opportunities to be a blessing and to serve others. The opportunities exist in front of us as he has places many people in our path on a daily basis. And, if we don’t ignore the opportunities it's easy to live our purpose.
I have been on this extensive search to "discover my purpose", to "hear my calling", to "find that which I am supposed to do" so I can go out and get ready to “do” it. There is nothing wrong with that except that I probably have been expecting some “grandiose” experience or assignment. And, I wonder how many people are like me. What I am discovering is that I just need to simply be me…. And that’s the most simple thing I can do. I don’t have to “wait” to find it. I simple do and be who I am. I can naturally “do” that right now and in this moment without much pontification. And, as I am discovering with Facebook, I already know a couple of hundred people who I’m sure would be grateful to be blessed by my love of cooking, my love of music, or whatever I have to give that will bring a smile to their face or make a difference in their life. This is especially true for people in my church and community who may be in need of something that I can give or do TODAY that will make their lives better.
I’ve spent a lot of time and effort trying "understand or hear" my call and "looking for" my purpose. Really it’s not so difficult to find at all. We all are created and wired to love to do certain things. When we do those things, we are simply expressing what’s naturally inside of us and that takes minimal effort because it’s there inside all the time. There is no need to put a whole lot of effort into figuring out how or what to do with what I already love and am gifted to do. Don't get me wrong, some effort is involved, but that effort involves naturally living, being exposed to, exploring and experiencing different things to learn what one likes or dislikes; but, it doesn't have to involve a whole lot of suffering and straining to "figure" it out. And, there is always someone God has placed in your life who has a need. So, consider again the saying “… you can’t see the forest for the trees”. This is where my paradigm shift occured regarding this saying I mentioned in the first paragraph of this blog. When we are so busy looking for and planning the details of what makes a great life, we can find ourselves missing out on living! And living is about sharing ourselves with and blessing others. When we're not living, we fail to promote the health, prosperity and happiness of others - and in my opinion this is our responsibility as human beings.
So, I have made the decision to simply do the things I love and let my life continue to unfold in a way that blesses others. I made the decision to simply be (as the forest simply IS) and let go of focusing on every single care and concern to try to get living right. It’s great! It freeing and I’m thankful for the revelation. Already, it’s helping me to enjoy the ride!
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